The Lives We Lead
by Revil the Dead Author
Summary: There are many ways to tell a story but only so many words to convey it. In an infinite universe anything is possible, many stories can be told, but sometimes it's hard to find the connection. Story currently sucks, am renovating. Be patient, the Starco will return.
1. Rampage of the Child

**_Caution: this fic is currently trash. Like, really smelly garbage trash. Like tire fire smelly type of trash. I'm currently in the process of rewriting literally all of it so that it is no longer trash. If you haven't read this fic yet I will not stop but be warned, it's going to be a hell of a lot better soon._**

 ** _Viewer discretion is advised._**

* * *

Table of Contents:

"Reality AU": Chapters 1-26

"Neighbor/Blind!Star AU": Chapters 27-?

* * *

 ** _Ok, ya dicknuts. This is my first publication on this website so all feedback is completely accepted. You can even be a dick for no reason, I don't care. The basic premise behind this story is: I wanted to make a SvtFoE fanfic with a bit more... reality to it. The show itself, being a children's show, is very silly and stereotypically cartoon-ish. Because of this, I wanted to show my own thoughts on how the show would go down if it had just that much more reality to it._**

 ** _If you think that's vague then good. It was supposed to be. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Rampage of the Child**

"I swear, if she keeps this up she'll need more than St. O's to get her back in line."

Mewni was a strong dimension, one that easily overthrew hoards of their enemies centuries ago. Even as their military expanded ever upward and, in turn, their strength increasing everyday nothing could have defended their capitol city from the horror that was ravaging their streets. As the Queen of Mewni looked down on her city from a side tower of her castle she new exactly what was happening. Star got into the warnicorns again.

"River? Do you know who left the stables unlocked?"

A voice from the adjoining room offered its denial. The Queen let out a long, drawn out sigh and headed for the door of her chambers. By the time she made it down to the cobblestone path leading to the castle's entrance there was already a mob forming outside the gates. An indiscernible ravel reached the Queen's ears as she made her way to the mob.

"WE WANT HER OUT OF THIS CITY"

"SCREW THE LINEAGE, GIVE US OUR LIVES BACK"

"ALL MY WINDOWS ARE SMASHED"

"MY CABBAGES!"

The Queen raised her hands not to silence, unfortunately, but to at least diminish the sound a bit.

"People, please! We are doing the best we can with her correctional education. Please give it time!"

A few villagers expressed their distaste with a multitude of curses. "We don't care how long it takes! At least keep her in the damn castle!"

"We're trying, but she's 14. You know how crafty they get at that age. Let me retrieve my daughter and we'll figure something out."

With a murmured agreement form a majority of the townsfolk the gate opened. The Queen, now on a direct course for the destruction that had made its way to the village square, hustled down the path with mob in tow. The square wasn't the largest the dimension had to offer, that prize was held in another city on the other side of the continent. But, it was extravagantly beautiful, with one of the most spectacular fountains a royal city could ask for. Which was currently smashed in several places, spilling water into the masses.

The Queen clicked her tongue at the sight of this and scowled. Repairs on this alone would take a huge chunk out of the city's reserves. She started to contemplate whether it really was time for Star to go...

Speak of the devil, here she comes now: mounted on one of the largest warnicorns the castle had and currently airborne just above the Queen. Though an impressive feat for such a young girl the Queen was far from amused.

"STAR BUTTERFLY! DISMOUNT AT ONCE!"

Not having seen her mother yet, Star reared the horse to a scraping halt at the sound of her. She looked back with the show of fear plastered on her face and jumped off the horse, which padded the ground with its hoof.

"Star Butterfly, what on MEWNI do you think you're doing? I leave you alone for 20 minutes and here you are, wasting away our city's resources and reserves as if we had coin growing from the trees! I swear, it's as if you have no sense of right and wrong!"

"Mom! I'm just trying to have some fun-"

"At the expense of whom? Do you think you're just prancing around in the garden like it was nothing? How many times must I tell you your actions have consequences!?"

Star looked down in shame. She knew it was a rhetorical question and didn't want to anger her mother any further than she already had with some cocky response. The Queen sighed again and her tone dialed down to a more apologetic kind.

"Star, listen. I know you're still a child and messing around is what you do, even I did it when I was your age, but you have to calm down and I don't think you're going to get that kind of education here."

The mob rose up its volume again with lots of "SEND HER OUT"s but immediately backed off as the Queen shot a cold look at them. Star looked up at her with absolute worry.

"You're... you're not sending me to St. O's, are you?"

"No, no I think I have a better place in mind. Don't worry, it won't be prison, like the reform school, but I will impose my rules on you while you're there. We can talk more about this in the castle. Now come."

The Queen took Star by the wrist and led her away from the square, using her wand to transport the warnicorn back to the stables. The mob parted, pleased with the work done here, and dispersed as the two walked back towards the castle.

* * *

 **First ever time skip!**

* * *

"She did what!?"

The King brought the tips of his fingers to the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"First the Alice Olerman Memorial Bridge and now the town square. That'll take at least 2 years to work off the expenses!"

"River, I know this is a matter of absolute importance but let's just settle on Star's situation for a minute."

The King and Queen sat in their conference room (well the King was pacing back and forth but you get the picture) going over today's events. With the subject changed to Star's new accommodations in another dimension there wasn't much to disagree with between the two.

"I really do think Earth is the best place for her to go. She won't be able to use magic without getting in trouble from the local law enforcement, let alone the guardians, and you've seen the commoners' status around those parts. Maybe she'll learn to respect the life she had back here."

"No, I believe you're right. But don't they have a son about Star's age? I'm not sure I like the chances there."

"Dear, I know that's just the father in you talking, but the Diaz's are our only solid connection in that dimension. It's that or St. O's, and you know how she feels about that."

"Alright, alright I see your point. Whose gonna break the news to Star?"

"I've done enough with her for one day. This one's yours."

Star sat in her own chamber, thinking over what was about to happen to her, when the door creaked open. It was her father come to talk.

"Star? Can we talk?"

"Sure dad."

She slid to her side a bit, making room for her father.

"I know you're probably fearing for your life on where me and your mother might send you but really, there's no need to worry. We're sending you to this dimension called Earth, or at least that's the habitable planet there. Your mother and I have been there numerous times and can assure you it is VERY safe. You're going to live with some old friends of ours, nice people by the name of Diaz. You'll have fun but remember: you'll be there for educational purposes. Now get some rest, you leave in the morning."

He kissed his daughter's head and left the room. Star rolled over onto her side and slept uneasily.

* * *

 _ **Those of you who are kind enough to leave a review on any of my chapters are very free to give any plot suggestions they want to see in the story. The author, the handsome devil known as theRevil, will add them in as he sees fit. And he will continue to write in the third person for exactly the same reason.**_


	2. Moving in

**_Ok, ya dicknuts. Here's the second part. I got some pretty good feedback on the first chapter so I'm rather excited to continue on with this._**

 ** _Here goes:_**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Moving In**

"Now remember, Star, this isn't to just be used willy-nilly. This is a defense precaution. I know we said Earth is safe and all but you can never be too careful."

The Queen held Star's new little trinket to her side. Because Star was 14, as you should all know, it became her birth-right to inherit a magic wand from the family. Of course, The Queen wasn't going to give her own wand to Star since she's still active ruler, that would just be ridiculous.

"We'll keep in touch with the mirror in your trunk, please do answer if you can. We'll be keeping in touch with you."

it was The King's turn, now. He stepped up to star and, being the same height as her, whispered into Star's ear:

"And stay away from the other child in the household. I don't want you getting any ideas."

"River!"

The Queen pulled him away from the girl with scorn on her face.

"You can get along with who ever you like, Star."

Star chuckled at this and looked to her father.

"Don't worry, dad! I'm not even gonna try with anyone. You know what happened with... him."

Her voice trailed into an angry mumble and she crossed her arms and turned away.

"Yes, we all know what happened with Tom. Didn't like the little twerp anyhow."

Here on Mewni, Star never had many acquaintances she could call her friend, except Princess Ponyhead. The only time she was ever really out of the castle was when she was running errands, fighting monsters, or doing the money-burning task of destroying the village with warnicorns she stole from the stables, as what happened the night before. Having the destructive personality that ailed her many parents forbade their children from "hanging out" with Star. At first, Tom was a little different. They became good friends, best friends (with the obvious exception of Ponyhead), and eventually boyfriend and girlfriend. But a demon from the pits of a hell-like dimension can only be calm for so long before driving others away from their presence, and Tom was no different.

There was a bit of hope for moving to this Earth place for Star and that was the overwhelming possibility of new friends. At this point it was the only thing keeping her from just running into the nearby swamps and camping there for the rest of her life. Or until dinner was ready. Food was always a favorite of hers.

But now was not the time nor the place to dwell on her next meal. That would be in a little bit. The part where she actually left Mewni for the better part of her life to grow and develop in a strange land she knew little to nothing about was scary yet somewhat exciting. As servants slowly moved her belongings through the portal that had been opened The Queen held out the wand for Star to take.

As she grasped the hilt of the magical wavy stick it almost immediately started to glow. When the light calmed down and everyone could see again they all observed the now different shape of the wand. Rather childish, very feminine, extremely like Star.

The Queen grasped Star's hands.

"Now remember, the bigger the spell, the more energy this thing will drain from you. Glossaryk will be coming along to teach you all you need to know about this. Only use it in dire situations. We'll know if you don't."

"Pfffft, don't worry mom. I can handle it!"

The two rulers look at each other with that 'She definitely can't handle it' look. Star's face, on the other hand, was slowly losing its radiance as her eyes filled with a bit of sorrow.

"So, I guess this is goodbye?"

"Oh, Star..."

The Queen grabbed Star and pulled her into a warm hug. Though she wasn't expecting it Star returned the embrace with just as much emotion. And who could forget about that big lug of a king, who joined in on this sickening show of affection.

As Star approached the portal she gave one look back to the castle she had spent all her life in.

"Goodbye, Mewni..."

As the portal closed behind her the joyous outcries of the villagers watching from a distance traveled in the cool morning air.

* * *

 **All must worship the time skips.**

* * *

Marco laid on his bed on this warm Saturday morning. He had hoped to sleep in today, having had a tough first week back at school, but his parents weren't having any of that. There was a surprise visitor coming today and they didn't want him to give a bad impression. He wondered who could be so important that he needed to get out of bed and dressed before 9 on a Saturday? It's not like they were royalty or anything like that.

Oh Marco, weren't you in for a surprise. * _AHEM!*_ As Marco lazily rolled out of his bed he continued to contemplate the meaning of his early awakening. With a quick glance at the clock, a surprising sign of 8:53 shown on the display. To make matters even worse the knock at his bed room door was only making him jolt up even faster.

"Marcoooo" Mr. Diaz called from the door, "You almost ready for our guest?"

"Uuuhyeah, dad! Just gimme another minute."

"Of course, son. Always good to look your best at times like these."

The sound of his feet padding away slid under the door and Marco sprang into high gear. Nice shirt, khaki pants, socks (dry, of course), and a nice hair combing took Marco a full 4 minutes. Record pace! With one final look in the mirror he turned to his signature red hoodie.

"Not today, old friend. Not today."

And with a last swift motion he opened the door and headed downstairs.

The sound of laughter coming from the living room could be heard as Marco made his way downstairs. He couldn't see whoever it was being covered by his parents conveniently making his anticipation all the more unbearable. Despite not wanting to have to get out of bed at all he was still very curious as to who this "old family friend" could be.

Mr. Diaz saw his dashing son come down from the second floor and turned his body. Marco caught a flash of blonde hair.

"Ah, Marco! You're just in time! Our new roommate just arrived!"

Marco could hear the voice of a young girl behind her parents.

"Ooooh! Ooooh! Who's Marco!? I wanna meet Marco!"

The two adults parted sides and the slender image of a girl, easily his age, pushed forward towards him and pulled him into a hug.

"Yaaaaaay! New friend!"

Marco, clearly expressing his distaste in the matter, managed to pull his head away just far enough to catch a breath of air. As Star let go Marco stumbled back a bit, breathing heavy. He looked to his parents.

"You didn't say ANYTHING about our guest being someone my age! or that she was super into hugs!"

The mother piped up this time.

"Oh, we thought you wouldn't mind at all."

"I don't, really, but a heads up would have been nice."

"Alright, here's a heads up: go show our lovely guest her new room."

Marco let out a sigh and went back to the stairs. As he passed Star she gave a smug grin his way.

"Not super into hugs, huh? You'll be in for a helluva time."

"Come on, your room's this way..."

The two made her way upstairs and out of earshot of the couple still at the door.

"You know, when they said we owe them a favor this isn't quite what I had in mind."

"Oh shush, Rafael. You always wanted a daughter. And Star's upbeat and lively energy will do this house some good."

Marco opened the door to the guest room and stepped inside to reveal all the lustrous wonders this room had to offer.

"This is your room. Try not to ruin it. Or do. Honestly, my parents won't care. They absolutely love cleaning."

Star walked into the room and looked around in awe. The walls were painted in a vibrant hue of beige and the low bed was covered in white sheets. She'd never seen a room like this before back on Mewni, everything she'd seen in the house had been so new and fascination. Like the big, flat, black box that was hanging on the wall back in the living room. God knows what that could possibly be used for. Marco saw the look in Star's eye and waved his hand in front of her face. It only lasted half a second before she whipped her head around and flashed a huge smile.

"I LOVE IT!"

"Oh, good. I know it isn't much but I'm sure you brought, I dunno, posters or something to liven it up."

"Posters? What's that, some kind of servant? My mom said I couldn't bring those along with me."

Marco's face had not changed the same half bored-half annoyed expression since they left the living room.

"Ok, ignoring that and hoping it was a joke... you already know my name, I guess, but I never got yours."

"Oh, it's Star. Star Butterfly."

"Star Butterfly? What, are your parents hippies or something?"

"Dunno what hippies are but they're the king and queen of Mewni if that's what you mean. I take it 'hippies' is some sort of slang?"

And with that Marco walked out of the room, really hoping this new nutjob wouldn't be staying that long.

* * *

 _ **And there's chapter 2! Now, in respponse to some of the feedback I got on chapter one:**_

 _ **I'm glad Anonymims and Guest sorta are enjoying the story and to answer the latter's remark: which word? Dick? Yes I like the word dick? It's a good word, nay a GREAT word dick is. Never liked the object it represents, though.**_

 _ **Little disclaimer: the following chapters won't be super story driven. Though there will be some based solely on plot in the future, I want to keep most of them as if they were episodes in the show, almost. Each chapter(s) with their own little subplot and problem with small to major time skips in between. Got an idea for a plot? Let me know, I'm always super into suggestions.**_


	3. The Woes of a Schoolgirl

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. It's time for the third chapter. 'And what's today's chapter going to be about, Revil?' you may be asking yourselves. Well, until I can get into the real time-skippy episodic jump chapters I still have a bit of plot and setting to set up. This one, in particular, is all about Star trying to get adjusted to Earth school.**_

 ** _And now for some reviews:_**

 ** _SpaceDwarf (love the name): Thanks for the support, and as for that new sleepover episode all I can say is Ho. Ly. Shit. Starco gon be canon, guys. It gon be canon! That is, if Star isn't too shy to keep Marco from going after Jackie instead. 'Cause we all know that's coming._**

 ** _Guest Sorta: Thank you so much! I'm putting in a real effort here to get out a chapter at least every other day and bring at least somewhat quality writing at the same time. Also- I do consider myself to be a rather large dick so... there ya go._**

 ** _Ok, on with the show. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Woes of a Schoolgirl**

Night. I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept. The sun descends behind the horizon and darkness falls over the lands. It's the time we humans hold as our designated time to sleep and recharge the our brains for the coming day ahead of us. That is, everyone except those living with an inter-dimensional magical princess in a room just across the hall. That person is Marco Diaz and he's not too thrilled with being kept up on a school night. In fact, last time that happened he almost failed a test he had that day. Marco takes his sleep very serious and not disrupting this is something that Star Butterfly has yet to learn how to do.

Being the hyperactive princess she was sleeping wasn't something Star could just ease into quietly. Her sleep routine consisted of numerous laps around her room accompanied by excessively loud giggles and a few loud bangs here and there. Marco's almost sure he heard the sound of a hammer at one point. Who knows what she was doing with a hammer.

By the time morning had risen Marco's eyes had darkened and gone bloodshot to the point where you'd think he was the living dead. The longer this girl stayed in the house the more Marco regretted not having been aborted. Once Marco felt satisfied that he had mentally complained about his current state of life to a substantial level he got out of bed. With a quick look at the clock he was ironically smiling to see that he hadn't slept in a good 22 hours.

His sluggish movements as he went through the usual course of morning actions caused a bit of mishap in his dressing. Fly down, missing a right sock, and even his red hoodie on backwards. Or maybe he was missing his left sock and his right sock was on his left foot. I don't know, they don"t label the damn things. Either way, he left the room without even bothering to check himself in the mirror.

In the kitchen Star was happlily chomping away on a plate of pancakes Mrs. Diaz had placed in front of her. Star looked up from her plate to see Marco sliding over to the table. It took her a good few seconds before she registered what state he was in.

"Hey, Marco! Your mom made these weird thi-"

The smile on her face dropped somewhat to a bit of worry as the enormous bags under his eyes sagged. The mother, who was working at the sink full of dirty dishes and soapy water, turned her head to see what Star had paused about.

"Oh Marco, honey, what happened? Have a bad dream last night?"

"Sure." he grumbled as he slumped into a chair, "Something like that."

His mother slid a plate of pancakes to him and, instead of grabbing a fork and knife like a civilized human being, he simply decided that hands were unnecessary and slapped his face down into the food.

Star couldn't help but giggle at this.

* * *

 **This is a time skip. Worship the time skip.**

* * *

Marco probably would have fallen asleep on the bus if Star hadn't been so kind as to smash him with an endless barrage of questions to keep him up like a canary in the morning mists.

Star had been rather excited to go to this "school" thing that everyone kept talking about. That was, until she saw the giant yellow monster speeding down the oddly black path. Everything about this world seemed strange and silly to Star but she knew she had a lot to get accustomed to. Especially since this was apparently the closest studied dimension Mewni had to a sister.

As the bus approached the two standing on the sidewalk Star almost immediately grabbed the wand in her backpack, ready to defend herself and Marco from any danger this beast might try to bring upon them. Thankfully, the yelling that Star made was enough to snap Marco back to reality in time to tell her, in a rather stern way, that this wasn't a monster. She seemed to accept this somewhat easily.

Getting her on the bus was another problem, though.

"No! No, I'm not getting on the yellow death monster!"

She was holding on to either side of the entrance, trying desperately not to be encased in such a contraption.

"I already told you, Star, it's not a monster!"

He was shoving his shoulder into Star, doing his best to get the girl on the contraption.

The bus driver shook his head lightly. "Foreigners..."

* * *

 **This is another time skip. Worship the time skip.**

* * *

"How does this thing work? Is it magic? I was told there's no magic on Earth but I've already seen some magical things. What's school look like? Will I make more friends like you there? What do we do in school? Is it fun? Can I do magi-"

"Star! Please! I'm trying to rest my eyes for 10 minutes."

"What? Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that someone kept me up all night with a freakin' hammer."

"Why would someone do that? That's just mean- oh wait, that was me." She giggled slyly.

"ARGH who even are you?!"

"I told you, I'm Star Butterfly!" She stands up with one foot on the seat. "Heir to the thrown of Mewni!"

"Siddown weirdo!" The voice came from somewhere in the back of the bus but remained faceless.

Star's fierce expression fell as she slowly got down. "I'm not a weirdo..."

Marco's head leaned over and laid on the window next to him. "You had me fooled."

* * *

 **Time skip. Time skip. Tiiiime skip.**

* * *

 **"** Alright, kids, sit down and shut up!"

Miss. Skullnick pushed the door open with her foot and threw her obscenely large body at the desk. Star gasped and went to reach for her wand. Again. This was the 12th time today alone. By now, Marco was ready for it and put his hand up towards her.

"Star, no..." his head was laying on the desk in front of him. "Not a monster... just the teacher..."

Star mumbled "I'm never gonna get to use my magic."

"Star, magic isn't real..." is what Marco had attempted to say if his words hadn't come out in a jumbled mess.

The rest of class went down without a hitch. Star listened to the teacher and, as expected, was extremely confused by basically everything that was said. Especially when it came to history. While Marco napped at his desk Star was consistently asking the weirdest of questions, things even the dumbest kids at school should have known. At one point she even asked about the absence of monsters mentioned in general history, to which the class replied with plenty of laughter.

* * *

 **This is another time skip. Yes, you must worship this one as well.**

* * *

Even in the lunch room Star found Marco sitting with two others. One of them looked like the nerdiest nerd to ever nerd out of Nerdville. And the other was, well... fat. That was his defining quality.

"Marco's still sleeping, huh?"

The fat one looked up from his enormous tray of food to see a girl. Sitting at THEIR table. The nerd had already fainted.

"Yeah, he said his new roommate kept him up all night."

"Oh, yeah... that was, uh... that was me."

"Wooaaah, Marco's got a girl living with him? Lucky. Wait... you're that new kid everyone's been talking about. You name's Star, right?"

"Yeah, that's me! I'm sure you've heard how awesome I am."

"Oh yeah! Never heard of anyone getting rejected by basically everyone in the school on their first day here. Impressive."

"That's what you've heard..." She slunk into her chair, very slightly saddened.

"Aw, it's ok though. You can hang out with the rest of us rejects. Alfonso here's really awkward around other people, I'm fat, Janna's a theif (not sure where she's at, I think she's skipping school), and everyone calls Marco the Safe Kid."

"Why do they call him that?"

"Because he's socially awkward. I thought that was pretty straight forward."

"No, I mean Marco, silly. Why does everyone call him the 'Safe Kid'?"

"Oooooooh, that's because he rarely ever gets in trouble and just is generally paranoid about basically everything that poses the slightest threat."

"Woah, now that's some heavy insight right there."

"Yeah, I've known these guys since we were 6. So, where did you move from?"

"I'm from the dimension of Mewni! I'm the magical, monster-fighting princess and heir to the throne!"

The fat one's eyes widened in awe as he listened to this, mouthing hanging open slightly.

"Woooooaaaah... a real magical princess..." His face contorted back to his usual widened grin. "Hi, my name's Ferguson. Will you marry me?"

All Star could do was laugh.

* * *

 **Once more a time skip.**

* * *

The first day at school can easily be called a child's most influential day at any educational facility. In Star Butterfly's case it was possibly the most influential day of her life. It was as if she couldn't understand why people were laughing at her, teasing her, making fun of her. Was it something she was saying? Couldn't be, she was telling the truth.

By the time Marco had finally got up for the day sometime after lunch he wished he had just stayed asleep. Star somehow managed to bring him into everything she was going through by association. Word got around the school seriously quick that they were living together making people start to pick on him for living with someone so crazy.

The two got off the bus and Marco stormed off towards the house, Star with an apologetic look plaguing her face.

"Marco, come on, I said I was sorry. How was I supposed to know they'd do that to you in the locker room?"

"Oh, I don't care that you had no idea people work that way. I don't care that you're getting me bullied. I don't even care that you're crazy! I care about the fact that in a single day of being here you managed to make my life miserable in several ways. I didn't sleep at all last night, pretty sure I just failed my science test, I've lost basically the last of whatever dignity I had at school, and now I'm even farther from ever even talking to Jackie!"

"Jackie Lynn Thomas? I met her, what about her?"

"It doesn't matter!" Marco let out a deep sign and opened the door. "Please, for the rest of the night, I just want to be left alone."

And with that, he closed the door and stormed off towards his room. Star shyly walked in the door and looked around. No one else seemed to be home except them. The parents must still be working. Overcome with the fact that she had lost basically any chance she had of making friends with anyone at this point her feet seemed to move on their own to carry her to her room.

She'd already managed to make the room as colorful as possible without even changing the wall colors. Her bed was made with some bright rainbow colored sheets, the blinds had been swapped out for a light pink, and the mirror, hung by nails rather than magic, stood triumphantly just next to the bed.

Star tossed her backpack to the side and sat down on the bed, head in hands. She did her best to cover the slight sobs made but, in the end, she just let it happen.

Marco was accustomed to the usual silence of the house when he came home from school. But now, he couldn't even have that. Something was breaking the silence and once again it was coming from Star's room. Of course. Still clearly angry from the day he had Marco made his way down the hall, fists clenched. He didn't realize what the sound was until his right fist was inches from pounding on the door.

He froze. Crying? But she seemed so cheerful. Was he too hard on her earlier? Oh god, what had he done? He made a 14 year old girl cry. He exhaled silently and slightly rapped on the door.

"Star, listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overreact. I know moving to a knew school is hard and I didn't want to make it any worse for you."

The crying had reduced to isolated sniffles as the door opened to show Star, red and puffy eyed, and immediately wrapped him in a hug,

Marco, still physically straining to breath through this, attempted to return the hug even though his arms were practically pinned to his side.

"You really do like-" violent inhale "You really like hugs, huh?"

* * *

 **Time Break part two: Electric Boogaloo**

* * *

Dinner that night, Star had livened up again. Marco and Star had talked about what was going on and why Star was acting so weird. Star, in turn, started to tell him all about Mewni, her wand that she wasn't really allowed to use, and why she knew nothing about all this Earth stuff. At first Marco didn't believe any of it but a quick call on the mirror changed that.

The King and Queen of Mewni cheerfully greeted Marco from the other side of the mirror and Marco responded with a gaping mouth and plenty of awe radiating from his body. That was the moment he realized Star wasn't as crazy as everyone kept saying she was. But if proving to everyone that she was telling the truth is off the table, maybe a little lesson on how to act on Earth was just what she needed.

Night. I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept. The sun descends behind the horizon and darkness falls over the lands. It's the time we as humans hold as our designated time to sleep and recharge our brains for the coming day ahead of us. That is, everyone except those living with an inter-dimensional magical princess in a room just across the hall. That person is not Marco Diaz tonight and, as he laid his head on his pillow, Marco was thrilled with the prospect of sleeping during the night. Having a magical, monster fighting princess from another dimension would usually mean there'd be plenty of noise during the entirety of the night but now, not disturbing this magical thing called sleep was something Star Butterfly finally learned how to do.

* * *

 _ **A nice long chapter for you guys. It wasn't long enough to split into 2 chapters so I decided to just put it all in like this. Things gonna heat up next chapter so look forward to that. We gon get some real magic going! Remember: got an idea for a chapter? Let me know. All reviews, criticism, and general douchbaggery is accepted.**_


	4. Substance of Energy

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. This chapter took me forever but whatever. I need to stop writing these in physics class... But I've been getting some pretty overwhelming support on this so that's been giving me some drive I've never felt before. I started the comic on sunday and already have over 400 views on this bad boy. You guys are the best, you know that?**_

 _ **Now for reviews:**_

 _ **SpaceDwarf- Thanks, those little time skip comments were fun to write, glad you're still enjoying it**_

 _ **Anonymims- Well that's exactly what I was going for so thank you!**_

 _ **Aaaand that's it. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Substance of Energy**

"And remember, Star, if you ever come to a football game it's ONLY a game. Not a fight to the death."

Star nodded her head in agreement, completely fascinated by the culture Marco had been describing to her for the last few hours. After what had happened a few days ago at Star's first day of school Marco had decided he would teach Star how to be human and what better way to do that than using up a perfectly good Saturday.

"You guys have some weirdly complicated sports. Sure isn't like Flags back home."

"Flags?"

"Oh yeah, whenever my family gets together we always play it. We beat each other up as we try to make it to the top of this really big and dangerous mountain and whoever places their flag at the top wins."

"That sounds barbaric... and super dangerous. Remind me never to go to one of your family reunions."

Just outside Star's bedroom window was a tree. It was a fine tree and Star admired it everyday. Today, however, as Star was distracted by Marco she didn't see the little pair of binoculars pointed towards the window that hung from this very tree. What's worse is the monster that was holding them: a frog-like humanoid monster with one heck of a pot belly.

Though this activity of peeping through other peoples' windows was illegal in this country, Yvgeny wasn't from here. He wasn't from this dimension at all. And as he pulled out his pair of scissors and discretely jumped through the portal he cut open with them, he was back in his own.

Yvgeny worked for a little man, or monster, and was just about to go and report his findings. Inside the castle, where his boss resided, was obsidian black walls charred from the torches that line them. Intricate stairways and masterfully designed corridors led the frog man to the throne room. Upon the throne sat his boss, Ludo.

Ludo, as many know him, is a little over a foot tall with a head three times as wide as his waist. No one's quite sure how he manages to hold it up.

"Ludo, master, I have returned with news!"

Yvgeny's russian accent echoed throughout the room. Ludo looked up, pleased. As he spoke an annoyingly high and raspy voice came forth.

"What is this news you have brought me?"

"The princess has finally been located. I apologize for such delay, but the Earth dimension is rather large. We've found her in nation designated as America around the south west border. I believe they called the area California."

"Excellent work, Buff Frog" Yvgeny scoweled at this name. "I mean, really, that's some professional work right there. Now to execute the next phase of the plan. We must infiltrate the dimension, find the exact location of the wand, and use it to lure the girl back here."

"But who will we use for that? We need someone small, discrete."

"Yes, you're right. But I have just the man for the job."

* * *

 **Time skip, timmity time skip**

* * *

If you've ever seen a fly magnified up close and reacted with some degree of disgust then congradulations, you're normal. If you've ever seen a 2 foot tall fly man then you'd be normal for reacting in the same way.

Boo Fly buzzed up to Star's bedroom window, ready to assess the scene. Two people, one of them's gonna need to go to the bathroom giving him the oportunity to lure the other one out. He flew down to the ground once more and picked up a rock. Perfect.

As if on cue the princess stood up from the bed and made her way over to the bathroom. Now was his chance. He open the window slowly and threw the rock. It sailed past Marco's head and hit the wall just outside the door. Marco, having heard this, was curious enough to get up and check it.

The second he was outside the door Boo Fly shut it. Marco, confused by this, tried the door knob. Locked.

"Oh, ha ha, Star. Very funny. If you didn't want to do this you could've just told me."

He looked down at the stone in his hand and shrugged, walking back to his room.

Meanwhile, Boo Fly conducted his search in the room. By the time he heard the toilet flush his hand had wrapped around the wand's hilt. He had just enough time to leave a pre-written note in the weird sack with straps on it, open up a portal and jump through before the bathroom door had reopened.

* * *

 **Failure to worship the time skip is punishable by death. By octopus.**

* * *

Ludo let out a maniacal laugh as he saw the wand in front of him.

"Boo Fly, you really know how to stay incognito. Well done. Is the note placed?"

"Yezzir."

"Excellent. Now, we wait..."

"But wait, boss." Yvgeny spoke up from the side of the throne. "Why must we lure her at all? Wouldn't it be better to just use the wand now before she shows up to ruin it? Or to just find way to keep girl in Earth dimension?"

"Ah, I knew someone would ask that eventually. But she's not the only one we need to worry about. That king and queen aren't just figureheads, you know. We need to render them powerless, and what better way to do that then showing them their dead daughter!" He began to laugh again as he proclaimed it.

"That is... that is evil..." Yvgeny was rather disturbed by this, having always wanting to be a father. "But definitely sound effective."

"Of course it's effective, you dolt! I thought of it. Right, Boo Fly?"

"Yez, boss."

* * *

 **What's this? What's this? Another timely skip.**

* * *

"Marco!"

Star rushed into Marco's room without knocking.

"Marco Marco Marco Marco!"

"What!? Oh my god, what is it!? What's so important that you have to come in unannounced?"

"This!"

She threw the letter over at Marco and it flittered down to his lap. He picked it up and read it aloud.

 _Dearest Star,_

 _Your wand has been forcibly taken into our custody. Any attempts at taking it back are fully discouraged as well as futile. Should you gain the courage to try and take it back you will be met with very violent backlash._

 _Yours Truly  
Ludo_

"Ludo? You know this guy?"

"Yeah, I don't know what's up with him. He's been hounding my family over god knows what for the longest time. I've beaten his and his minions' butts plenty of times before, though."

"Well I can assume this guy is back in your dimension then, right?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. He's got this wicked castle and everything."

"Well how do you suppose we'll get there then? Weren't you denied from bring those weird scissor things?"

"Oh yeah, but I- wait, I didn't even ask you to help me yet."

"Yeah, well, it seems like this wand is extremely important to you so I thought it'd be worth retrieving."

"Awwwww, that's so sweet. Come with me!"

She grabbed Marco's wrist and pulled him off the bed. She led him back to her room and ran up to the bureau. Inside the lowest drawer stuck in the back was a large, gleaming, elegant pair of scissors. With them she cut a slit right into the time space continuum itself and widened it, pulling Marco through with only a moment's protest.

* * *

 **Here it is. Time skip? Time skip.**

* * *

Back in Ludo's castle he no longer sat on the throne. Instead, he paced back and forth in thought. He had placed the wand on a pedestal some distance in front of the entrance and was waiting. The other monsters stood along the walls ready to attack at any time. The second Ludo finally thought of something to say to his men he was interrupted by the doors. Not because they burst open or anything. No it was because there was a gentle knock at the door. He motioned to one of his men, a creature by the name of Bearicorn, to go and check it. Just as the bear... unicorn... thing reached his hand out to grab the door latches it swung open, smacking the monster in the face and causing him to fall over completely unconscious.

Ludo jumped at this. "Well, isn't that some way to make an entrance."

"Can it, Ludo!" Star rushed in through the door. "Where did you put my wa- oh there it is."

Upon seeing the wand on the pedestal she extended a hand and ran for it. Marco, on the other hand, saw Ludo snap his fingers signaling another monster to attack. Star had yet to see this.

"Star! Watch out!"

She looked up to see a giraffe-like monster running at her full force. She hadn't the time to react as it slammed her away with its body. She flew backwards right back into Marco who barely managed to catch her. Star placed her hand to her face. Bloody nose.

Ludo smirked. "I told you not to come, Star Butterfly. Get them!"

The rest of the monsters rushed the door, ready to attack. Star got into a stance, ready to fight for her birthright back. What she wasn't really expecting was to see Marco do the same. And it was at this point that the fight had started. Monsters flew, bones seemed to break, and the wand had yet to be taken.

As Marco swung his foot into the neck of the giraffe-like monster he saw a possibility to grab the wand.

"Star! I'm gonna boost you over the chicken!"

Star nodded in agreement of this plan and ran over to him. She she leaped onto Marco's waiting hands and was sprung up over the chicken. She landed just in front of the pedestal and grabbed her beloved heirloom.

"Marco! Get out of there!"

He looked over to Star and, a little confused on what she might do, rolled out under a monster's arm and dodged another. When he was out of the way Star prepared her spell.

"NARWHAL BLAST!"

A large beam of blue light inhabited by tiny happy narwhals blasted from the face of the wand and practically wiped the floor with the other beings standing upon it. When the beam blew out Star turned around and faced Ludo.

"Didn't want me to come, huh? Guess you just didn't want to get your butts kicked."

Ludo's face sulked down as he realized how stuck in a rut he was at the moment. Marco's face, on the other hand, was frozen in awe having never seen anything like that before.

"Yeah, yeah, you win again. Whatever. Now get out of here."

"Gladly." She pulled out the scissors and opened another portal. Before the two friends jumped through the portal Marco reached into his hoodie pocket abd found the rock from earlier. He took it out and threw it at Ludo, nailing him in the head. Star and Marco left while laughing.

Ludo got up, rubbing his forhead, and looked around at his men and sighed.

"Plan B is never going to work with another kid..."

* * *

 **Hey guess what. I bet you didn't expect a TIME SKIP!**

* * *

"What on Earth was that!?"

"I think you mean, Mewni. Not Earth."

"I don't care right now! What was that? Is that what your magic can do?"

"Oh that? Yeah. Pretty cool, right?"

"Cool!? That was _awesome!_ I can't believe you can do that! I didn't even know something like that was possible!"

"Well it works here in your dimension, too, y'know. Here watch."

After looking around the room to make sure no one else was watching she pointed the wand at the ground and in a puff of pink smoke spawned 8 adorable little puppies.

"Star! You know you're not supposed to do that!"

"I know but look! Magic~" She put emphasis on the last part with her little singsong voice. "You know what that means?"

"That we're going to get in major trouble for that?"

"No, silly, it means there's magical energy on Earth, too! That wouldn't work if there wasn't."

"Wait, really? That's awesome!"

"YEEAAaaahhhh..." Star was unable to keep this last exclamation up as the adrenaline started to wear off. Her knees buckled and she collapsed on the bed.

"Star!?" Marco ran over to her. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just kinda... winded. That narwhal blast took a lot out of me."

"Ok, well, take it easy for the rest of the day. We'll pick up the lesson tomorrow."

"Right right..." She turned onto her side and laid on the bed, exhausted.

As Marco left the room one of the puppies followed behind him. Before he realized it the damned thing shot a laser out of its eye right into Marco's leg.

"Ow! Hey!" He looked back at the dog and froze.

"Well that's... strange..."

* * *

 _ **Rightio, hope you guys liked this one. It took me forever to write because chunks of it kept getting deleted. RIP my life ;-;**_

 _ **Also, lasers usually don't cause physical harm unless either aimed at the eye or unless they're super highly charged or magnified or something like that but by then they're causing fires and shit so I just didn't feel like changing that about the dogs. Hope you guys like me not making Ludo such a dumbass as he's shown in the show. I feel it's unnecessary.**_

 _ **Daily reminder that I'm always open to suggestions. I currently have just about 10 chapters planned out with major plot points but I don't want every chapter to be heavy on plot.**_


	5. Thunder's Call

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. It's time for the fifth installment. I'd like to dedicate this specific chapter to SeniorSpaceDwarf for requesting to see more of the Diaz's so here you go.**_

 _ **Now for some reviews-**_

 _ **jjmmmmmlol: Yes, that is quite the great analogy you got there. How can this story be any good if it doesn't have trashy Starco filler? Like this chapter!**_

 _ **Anonymims: Thank you so much, your words mean a lot!**_

 _ **SeniorSpaceDwarf (when did you become a father?): I feel you with your point on Ludo but what can I say? Didn't like him horribly at first. And I'm also hoping to go more in depth about the magic sooner or later. Glad to see your anticipating my work and enjoy this chapter. It goes out to you.**_

 _ **Again, just want to thank you all for the support this is getting. I got nearly 200 views in the last 24 hours bringing me to 666 (exactly as of the time of me writing this). That's just under a third of what I've had total since Sunday! In completely unrelated news, I found the perfect song to listen to when shooting up a school. Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones. And with that out of the way here's some 50% Starco trash and 50% shit between the parents. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Thunder's Call**

Star woke up in the morning with a start. Something didn't smell right, kind of like iron. She lifted a hand up to her face and felt the dried blood that was left there from the day before. Just another reminder of imperfection and exactly why Ludo was hated by the kingdom.

The kingdom... Star almost forgot she didn't live there anymore. That spell she used last night, one of her own design, really drained her and she was still feeling the effects in their entirety. As she attempted to get up for the day she was overcome with her lightheadedness and had to steady a wobble after her knees buckled a bit.

Her heart pounded in her ears so loud she couldn't hear the thunderstorm raging outside. That spell was gonna need some adjustments if she wanted to use it again without killing herself. Maybe Glossaryk had some ideas…

 _ **CRACK!**_

Star leapt into the air at the sound of such a lighting bolt. That one had to have been close by. The room was still dark, as if it were nighttime, due to the heavy clouds hanging overhead. She wanted to use her wand to make some kind of light source but remembered how she had nearly fallen not even 10 seconds ago.

 _I guess that...thing on the desk will have to do._

If there was one thing Star still just couldn't wrap her head around in this dimension it was electricity. How could it be that humans had the capability to harness the power of tiny suns and be able to turn them on and off willingly? It had to be magic, it just had to be, though Marco consistently denied it. Pffftt, what did he know about magic, anyway? For all these humans knew 'electricity' could very well be magic in disguise. She remembered there was a little switch somewhere on the wall that was supposed to turn the tiny sun on, so she ran her hand across the wall trying to find it. When she finally got her finger on it and flicked nothing happened.

 _Huh… weird. Why isn't it working? Is it scared? I bet it's scared. I'll just wash my face off then and try to find a way to bring the little guy back to life._

Star walked out into the oddly dark hall and into the bathroom. Weird, the light switch here didn't seem to work either. Just down the hall she could see Mrs. Diaz lighting a candle. Finally, something she understood. As Mrs. Diaz set the candle down on a little table in the hallway she looked over at Star.

"Good morning, darling! You sleep well?"

"No… not really…"

"What's the matte- oh Star!" She had walked up to the girl and had gotten a better look now. "You look horrible! And is that blood under your nose?"

"Yeah, I was just going to clean up."

"Good, I couldn't stand to have your adorable little face tainted like that." This made Star blush lightly, not that Mrs. Diaz could see it. "What gave you the bloody nose, anyway? You and Marco were gone all day, yesterday. Does it have something to do with that?"

"Uuuhhhh… no. Just kinda… woke up with it? Yeah, not sure where it came from."

"Hmmm well alright then. You get cleaned up, breakfast is in a few minutes."

Mrs. Diaz made her way back downstairs and Star went into the bathroom.

* * *

 **If ever there was a time skip this would be the ultimate form.**

* * *

As the day became an hour later and the sun rose higher in the sky the house brightened up some. It wasn't nearly as dark as it was that morning but even still the rain refused to let up and seemed to pound ever harder. This was nothing that could bum out Star Butterfly, however. She regained her strength after having an early dinner of waffles and was once again ready to take on the day!

Marco had rested up well, too, and decided that since they probably wouldn't be going outside today it would be the perfect time to keep Star up to speed on her teachings. By 9 o'clock they had nestled themselves in Marco's room with a few blankets and a candle. Downstairs, though, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz had some plans of their own.

They sat down at the kitchen table. The misses with her cup of coffee and the father with his newspaper.

"Rafael, she had a bloody nose when she woke up today, do you think she's doing magic?"

"Oh, come now. I haven't seen anything." His Mexican accent seemed to ring throughout the room. "Besides, her parents forbade her from doing any magic. I doubt she'd do anything this early on, it's only been a week."

"Then how do you explain the blood? I swear, they were doing something yesterday and Star got hurt from it. Do you know what River and Moon would do to us if they found out we let their only daughter get hurt? Or worse, what if she died!?"

"Honey, calm down. If you really are that worried we just need to keep a closer eye on the two. But it's not like they can leave the house today so there's nothing to worry about!"

"I guess you're right… after all, they trust us with their daughter for a reason."

"And a good one at that! After what they did for us watching their daughter for a little while was the least we could do. Now… I know exactly what you're thinking about doing right now."

They looked into each other's eyes lovingly and said, at the same time: "Photo album under a blanket time!"

The two of them giggled as they ran to the living room with a large blanket. Upstairs Marco could hear them and sighed. Him and Star had been sitting on the floor of his room going over a bit of history.

"They're doing it again…"

Star looked up at him in confusion.

"Doing what?"

"It's this stupid thing they do where they hide under a blanket with a flashlight and look at old pictures of the family."

"Aaawwww that's adorable!"

"It's dumb, if you ask me."

"Marco! These are your parents you're talking about."

"Oh please, don't tell me your parents don't do anything weird."

"Well there is this one thing-"

 _ **BOOOOOOM!**_

Another flash of light and more thunder caused Star to jump up from her sitting position with an "EEP" and fall backwards.

"You're afraid of thunder, aren't you?"

"What? No!"

Another flash of thunder made her jump again, this time with more of a scream as she hid under her blanket. Marco gave her an accusing eye.

"Ok, maybe I'm a little afraid."

"Star, come on, there's nothing to be scared of. You used to fight monsters all the time back home."

"Yeah, well this is different!"

"Mmhmmm. Anyway, let's get back to the lesson."

"Oh, actually, can I ask you something first?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Shoot."

"How come the magic suns aren't working today? Are they scared or something? Scared of thunder, too?"

"What? No. I've told you plenty of times they aren't tiny suns. And they aren't magic. They're little glass orbs with these things called filaments inside. When they're turned on the filament heats up and produces light."

"Ok, cool, but why aren't they turning on today?" She clearly didn't retain any of that.

"It's because of the storm outside. The lightning must have knocked out the power."

"Power? You mean magic."

Marco sighed "Ok fine, our house runs on this 'magic' called electricity."

"AHA I KNEW IT WAS MAGIC"

"Whatever. The 'magic' is generated at a power station somewhere else and is transported here through those wires that line the streets."

"Oooooh, so that's what those are for."

"Yeah, it's to transport the... 'magic'. Anyway the storm must have knocked a branch from a tree which fell on a power line. With a damaged power line the 'magic' can't make it back here to power the tiny suns."

"Oh, ok! I get it now!"

 ** _CRAAACK!_**

Another lightning bolt caused Star to jump out from under her blanket and right into Marco's lap. The two looked at each other for a second, blushing softly. She quickly got back off of him, her blush deepening as she stammered to get out an apology. Marco, looked away slightly.

"Let's just... get back with the lesson."

Star nodded her head furiously. "Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

 **I lied, this is a more ultimate form of any time skip conceivable.**

* * *

There was a light ringing coming from somewhere else in the living room. Realizing exactly what it was, Mr. Diaz jumped up from the couch and grabbed a tiny hand mirror on a small table close by. His wife poked her head up from behind the couch.

"Is it them?"

"Yeah, must be the weekly report..." He looked over to his wife. "You're gonna make _me_ answer it, aren't you?"

She nodded her approval and the man sighed. He tapped a little gem on the handle and on the glass appeared The Queen.

"Oh, hey there, Moon! Wasn't expecting a call so soon."

"Yes, well, I just needed to make sure my daughter was all right."

"She's doing fine, no, great actually! Her and Marco seem to be getting along pretty well."

A voice came from the background telling The Queen to ask if the boy's been keeping his hands to himself. The Queen turned her head around in slight anger.

"River!"

Mr. Diaz didn't mind the question, though. "Oh, no no, it's fine. He's been very well tamed, sir. I've personally made sure just for you."

The King barely managed to poke his head into view of the mirror.

"Oh thank you, who know's what I would do if my daughter decided to go and get her heart broken again!"

"I would never allow that. She's basically my own daughter for the time being so I share your feelings."

"Good, glad to know we're on the same page about this."

The Queen rolled her eyes. "Remember, you two are the only connections Mewni has to the Earth dimension. Do not disappoint us."

"Would never dream of it! Bye bye!" He hung up the mirror.

Meanwhile, up stairs, Star was starting to get bored with these lessons.

"Marco, it's been 4 hours! Can't we do something else?"

"Like what? Do you expect us to go outside or something?"

"I don't know, maybe. Why not? It sounds like the thunder's stopped. And haven't you ever wanted to play in the rain before?"

"No, I haven't. You could catch a cold like that!"

"Oh come on, you sour puss. Haven't you ever just danced in the rain? Twirled gracefully as the tears of heaven fall around you, thinking about what the world is, how everything came to be. You see visions in the rain... little glimpses of the future as if the individual rain droplets are whispering their knowledge to you..."

By now she was completely mesmerized. She had gotten up from the floor and started to dance around as she said this as if she really were out in the rain already. She had that thousand yard stare in her eyes.

"Huh... that's... I never thought you had something like that in you."

"Come on!"

She grabbed Marco's wrist and pulled him out of the room and down the stairs, continuing on to the front door.

"We're going outside" she called to Mr. and Mrs. Diaz "We'll be back in in a little bit!"

"Wait!" Mrs. Diaz held out her hand as if to stop them from the couch. "You might catch a cold!"

"That's what I said!"

And with that, the front door was hurriedly shut. Mr. Diaz looked over to the door.

"Let them have their fun, they'll be fine."

Mrs. Diaz got up and walked to the window. She watched as the two played outside. Star running in circles around her friend having the time of her life, Marco was rather timid, trying to avoid as much mud as possible.

"I guess... I guess I'm just scared one of them might get hurt."

"That's normal. After all, you _are_ a parent."

He walked over to his wife and kissed her cheek. Outside Star had tackled her friend. Marco looked down at the mud covering him and started to laugh. This caused Star to laugh in turn. The two dry ones looked on at the two wet and muddy ones, remembering their own days as youths in love.

* * *

 _ **Aaaaand that's it! Hope it was what you were expecting, SpaceDwarf, 'cause it sure wasn't what I was expecting. If you want to see your plot idea incorporated into the story just like SpaceDwarf did let me know, I'm always open to suggestions.**_


	6. Lazy Days

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. It was brought to my attention that I completely forgot about the laser puppies so let's just say they were hiding under the bed during the storm. There, easy plot hole fill. Just saying, this one's gonna be a bit dialogue heavy just like the last few chapters.**_

 _ **Now for them reviews-**_

 _ **Guest sorta: OH GOD! *smothers you in fire extinguisher foam***_

 _ **SpaceDwarf'sDog (wat teh fuq): Don't you worry your silly little head about good ol' Ferguson. I got him all figured out. In fact, you might just see him in this chapter. Thanks for giving me your pride, makes me just that much more confident to write this chapter.**_

 _ **Aaaaand here we go! Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 **Lazy Days**

"AAAACHOO"

Star raised a hand to her nose, rubbing some of the snot away.

"I _told_ you we'd catch a cold..."

"Oh Marco, cheer up. At least we had fun!"

Both of their voices sounded congested as if their noses were entirely blocked. Marco was not happy about missing school for this.

"Well yeah, we had fun, but at what price?"

"Marco, seriously, don't be such a wet blanket, really."

"I'm not being a wet blanket! I'm just being realistic."

"But we get to miss school today! Isn't that exciting!?"

Marco shot her a glaring look and she returned it with a beaming smile. One of the laser puppies came running down the stairs, yapping. It jumped up onto the couch both Marco and Star were on and immediately let its tongue guide its body towards Marco's face.

"Woah! *ppbbbbtptbpt* Calm down, girl!"

He managed to get his hands up and keep the tiny doggo from sticking its tongue up his nose. The puppy accepted this and decided to just snuggle up next to the boy. Star's eyes were widening by the second.

"Aaawwww I think she's really starting to like you!"

"You don't say... I don't mind, really. I've always wanted a dog."

"And now you have one." A familiar mexican accent carried from the kitchen. Mr. Diaz walked in, dressed for work.

"I'd ask where that dog came from but I'm scared of what I'd get as a response."

Star happily chimed up a response to this, anyway. "There's seven more upstairs!"

"Amazing. Honey, I'm going!"

He kissed his wife who had just came down the same steps the puppy had just recently fell down.

"Have a good day a work." She kissed him back.

Marco's face contorted with disgust. "Sick, guys! Do you have to do that right here?"

"Yes" His father replied "Now get some rest while I'm at work. Bye!"

He walked out the door and was off. Mrs. Diaz waited a good 2 seconds before turning back to the others.

"Ok, I don't want you two getting up from that couch until you're feeling pristine enough to be shown off in a museum. Chicken soup?"

Marco raised his hand excitedly, Star looked up confused.

"Chicken soup? What's a soup?"

Marco looked horrified. "You've never had chicken soup?! You _have_ to try it! Works absolute wonders when you have a cold."

"Well, if you say so."

Mrs. Diaz rushed into the kitchen to prepare the soup. She decided to ask them about the puppies later. Marco looked back over to Star.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you. What's with those hearts on your cheeks? Are they, like, tattoos or something? You never mentioned them before."

"Oh these? I forget they're there sometimes. No, silly, they aren't tattoos. Mewni's got some strict laws about tattoos. These are something that all Mewman women have, they're called cheek marks. They can come in a few different shapes, not that I've seen many of them. I'm not really sure what the shapes represent or if they're all just obtained randomly. What I _do_ know is that the brighter they are the stronger one's personality is.'

"Well, it's no wonder yours are so bright, then."

"That's what I've been told plenty of times."

* * *

 **Betcha weren't expecting a time skip this early on but here ya go!**

* * *

 _At school:_

"I'm tellin' ya, dude, that new girl is magic!'

"Just because she told you she was a 'magical princess' or whatever doesn't mean she really is."

Ferguson looked at his nerdy friend in disgust.

"How can you say that, Al? Isn't it obvious!? I mean, just look at her sometime. The way she dresses, those hearts on her cheek, that wand thing she carries around in her backpack. No way she's crazy."

"Ok, first of all, just because she dresses a certain way doesn't mean she's a princess, those could easily just be tattoos, and that's probably just a prop she got from her favorite anime or something. Who knows, maybe it's from Sailor Moon."

"You ignorant fool! She's going to rule this school in the near future, I know it! We'll head over to Marco's house after school and I'll prove it to you."

"Whatever you say, Ferg."

* * *

 **Woooaaaah another freakin' time skip!**

* * *

Marco happily ate the soup while Star just kinda looked at it for a bit.

"What's this weird watery thing it's in? I don't like how it's a weird shade of yellow."

"C'mon, Star, just try it. It's great!"

"Ok..." She nibbled at a spoonful that she brought to her mouth and her face lit up with glee.

"Holy crap! This is good!"

"I told you."

As they ate their steaming hot vegetable bath the mother came back in the room, holding two of the puppies that were roaming around the house. There was a hole in one of her pant legs.

"Aren't these little guys just absolutely adorable!? Oh, I sure do wish I knew where they came from."

Marco decided to answer first. "Oh, those. Star-"

"picked them up off the streets! Yeah, that's what Marco was about to say."

Mrs. Diaz's smile faded only slightly. Right then one of the other puppies ran by shooting a few lasers out of its eyes. She didn't even look down at it, her face somewhat stern.

"Then why do they do _that_?"

Star looked a bit scared trying to keep her smile up.

"Oh, you know it's that, uuuhhh, new breed of puppies that shoot lasers from their eyes."

Marco sighed "Star made them with magic."

"Yep, there it is." Mrs. Diaz put the puppies down. "Star, your parents told you not to use magic explicitly. And you know creating living creatures is not only a physically daunting task but very unethical."

Star looked down, saddened. "I know..."

"Wait, mom, how do you know that? I didn't know you knew so much about magic."

"Well, of course I do. You don't get to be friends with magical inter-dimensional monarchs and not learn at least a little of their culture."

"Wait, what else do you know about them? No, wait, how did you even meet these people to begin with? Nonono, is there really magic here on Earth?"

Mrs. Diaz just chuckled. "You'll learn all this eventually, Marco, but you don't need to know right now."

"But mom!"

"No buts. Now finish your soup and get healthy."

Star giggled at this and they both went back to eating.

 **I think I should put a time skip here. Yes, this is optimal worshiping position.**

There was a knock at the door. As Mrs. Diaz opened it Star and Marco could see Ferguson and Alfonso rushing it. Ferguson was saying something excitedly.

"Star! Star, you gotta show Al how you're really a magical princess! He doesn't believe me."

"Well of course I don't believe you" Alfonso came up behind his friend. "It's completely absurd."

Star looked over at the two people demanding her to prove herself.

"Guys, come on, calm down. Of course I'm magic. Also an inter-dimensional princess."

Alfonso seemed unamused by this. "That seems highly illogical. How do we even know that there's even other dimensions."

"Fine. I'll show you. Athena!" The dog that was still tucked up next to Marco perked up, wagging its tail. "Thena, go get my scissors, please."

The dog let out a yap and ran off. It came back a mere minute later with a pair of scissors in its mouth which Star took. She cut a portal, to Alfonso's actual surprise.

"Go ahead, stick your head in there."

Alfonso, somewhat afraid at this point, peered inside the portal, let out a silent scream, and withdrew, shaking madly in fright. Marco looked at him inquisitively.

"What'd you see?"

"N-n-n-nothing. N-nothing at all."

Alfonso turned and ran out the door, holding himself. Star burst out laughing before sneezing again.

"Star, what did you show him?" Marco seemed very amused by this.

"Oh, you know, just the place you people like to call hell. It's where Tom lives."

All three of them burst out laughing as the camera panned out. Ferguson stopped before the others.

"Seriously, marry me."

* * *

 _ **Boom shaka laka. I like this chapter quite a bit. Managed to show more about the Diaz's participation in Mewni without really giving anything away. Hope you all enjoy this chapter because shit's getting real in the next one. Wanna see your own idea incorporated into this story? Drop a review, all ideas are welcome. Except sex. No sex. None. Bad boy! Why are you even thinking about that! This is a kid's show! Sicko.**_


	7. Familiarities

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Sorry for the wait, hope you guys have gotten hyped for chapter 7. Pffft, why would you? This shit ain't that great! (That's a lie) Anyway, if you guys didn't see I found a little songfic I wrote awhile back and posted that in my absence so go check that out, too. It's full o' da feels. Also, anyone else feel like they write better when they're stupidly tired?**_

 _ **Anyway, REVIEWS-**_

 _ **Anonymims: Remember when Star was body slammed by the giraffe man? That's how she got the bloody nose. The magic only caused her to pass out. Not saying magic can't have those effects thoooouuuuugh...**_

 _ **Guest sorta: Yes I called ya all dicknuts, I'm a dick, remember? WORSHIP THE DAMN TIME SKIP! You're welcome for the foam. And it was because chapter 7 hadn't come out yet, that was the combustive message.**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnDi-Olive: I think I can incorporate that into this chapter, very nice idea. I love it!**_

 _ **Guest (via the combustive message): Yes, it was necessary. Must I direct you to my profile? Here's a little quote. "Is: a dick."**_

 _ **SpaceDwarf4Hire: I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE MORE and I would totally hire you.**_

 _ **XxinfamousxX321: Very nice use of a time skip, I approve.**_

 _ **One more thing before we start: You guys got me 900 views since I've been absent so... thank you. That's fucking amazing. You guys are the absolute best.**_

 _ **Now for some awesome shit. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Familiarities**

"MARCO, IT'S DOING THE THING AGAIN!"

"WHAT IS!?'"

"THE TOASTY THING!"

Marco let out a long groan and left his room. His parents were getting ready for work and didn't have time to help Star themselves. He slid down the stairs to check out what was wrong with the 'toasty' thing, though he had a fairly accurate idea of what it might be.

It's been a full week since they had their colds and Star was making huge progress on adapting to an Earth lifestyle. School has slowly become much easier to experience for the both of them now that Star has begun to act as a normal human being rather than a normal mewman being. Though she's been learning at an alarming rate there were still some bits of technology she just couldn't wrap her head around. One of those things was this "toasty thing".

Marco looked down at the toaster on the kitchen counter which was currently housing two slices of toast.

"You have to be kidding me, Star, come on."

"No, I will _not_ come on! Where does the bread go!? Where does the toast come from!?"

"The toast IS the bread!"

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

* * *

 **Time skip time skip bo-bime skip banana fana fo fana me mi mo ma!**

* * *

The bus ride to school was as usual, that is to say there were no incidents, and the same could be said for the first few periods. The only time something even remotely unusual happened was on the walk to the lunch room. Star and Marco were walking together, as always, talking about god-knows-what when someone walking by caught Marco's eye. It didn't take long for Star to figure out who it was.

Star had known about Marco's little crush on Jackie Lynn Thomas for some time now after it just happened to slip out during one of their 'lessons'. She looked over at Marco wide-eyed.

"Marco! Go talk to her!"

"Star, you can't just tell someone to go talk to someone they like. I know we haven't really gotten to the unit on television yet but that's been used so many times and it never goes over well."

"But I have no idea what you're talking about so it doesn't count."

Jackie stopped at her locker just down the hall from them. Star pushed the love-struck boy in her direction.

"Now go!"

Marco stumbled towards Jackie but managed to regain his footing before she realized he was there.

"Hey, Jackie." He leaned up next to one of the lockers.

Jackie looked over from inside her own locker and smiled. "Oh, hey Marco." It was at this time that Marco lost his brain. We're still not sure how it managed to leave his body along with his kneecaps and it remains a scientific mystery to this day how he continues to live at all. The only thing Marco could muster up were incoherent stammers as his legs began to shake.

"H-h-h-hey J-Jackie... y-y-you h-have a locker i-in this wing t-too?"

It'd didn't take a psychologist to see that Marco was nervous and by now Jackie was super grossed out by the profuse amounts of sweat that was pouring out of Marco's face and pits.

"Dude, seriously, what's up with you?"

"W-what? I don-don't know wh-w-w-what you're talking about!"

Jackie just shook her head and walked away. Marco, finally accepting defeat, hung his head in shame. Star's hand on his shoulder wasn't even enough to get him to keep walking towards lunch.

"Come on, you baby, let's go get our food. You'll learn how to talk to her eventually."

Star was genuinely rooting for Marco here.

* * *

 **There has never been a more precise or pristine version of a time skip to ever exist. If you find one, let me know. I'm buying.**

* * *

Mewni had two separate kind of countries. One was just called Mewni while the other was merely called the Wastelands. Mewni was broken up into several cities, the capital city also going by the name of Mewni, that all acted in accordance with one another. Then there were the Wastelands. Now, no one in the wastelands ever really called it that because they always called it home. They were monsters, outcasts from the civilized area of Mewni. This isn't to say that Monsters weren't civilized they just didn't have the technological advantages that the people of Mewni had.

If you were thinking these monsters couldn't make the same kind of advancements that Mewmans could then you'd be flat out wrong. After Mewni sucked the resources out of the Wastelands these monsters lost their chance to catch up. In this dimension Monsters were just as intelligent as Mewmans but when you experience the same history they did you'd understand why they seemed so primitive in comparison.

Centuries ago there was only the island of Mewni on this planet. Of course it was big enough to be considered a continent but the planet itself isn't all that huge so you could say its one side was just covered by a large island. On this island were the native monstrous inhabitants that lived in harmony with one another. But, one day, and for reasons no one is quite sure of anymore, a new species attacked the island. They certainly weren't from this dimension but it wasn't hard to tell that they were ready to conquer this place for their own.

Never having too many enemies or predators to have to worry about the monsters weren't all that technologically advanced in the ways of weaponry. This put them at a huge disadvantage. So much so that the fighting couldn't even be constituted as a war. When the island of Mewni was conquered in 3 days flat there were far too many monsters to just deport away to a new dimension so they just sectioned off another part of the continent for them to live in. This massacre left a special vengeance in the hearts of these monsters that lingers ever so brightly in one specific monster to this day.

Ludo had gathered a following, a cult almost, that was willing to lead into battle no matter the cost. They all wanted their lands back, though the massacre happened generations ago with no remaining survivors left. Ludo knew how to talk to large groups of people and soon gathered a large military power and research crew. With new weaponry discovered and ready hands to place it in there was a constant overhanging shadow of war looming in the horizon. Though it never seemed to come. The citizens of the Wastelands were growing uneasy, ready to attack whenever the command came. But Ludo decided it was better he wait. He knew what the King and Queen were capable of. The King was an oafish brute who could crush any monster's skull within his palm. The Queen, however, was practically a monster herself being so powerful in the use of magic. There was only one component Ludo needed should he want to win this full frontal assault. Something he's already gone to the Earth dimension several times to get, to no avail.

"Ludo, sir? May I talk with you?" A Russian accent echoed in the halls.

"Ah, Yvgeny, come in!" Though he knew how to talk to people there was always this small detail the others seemed annoyed by. Ludo's voice, that high pitched, scratchy, whiny, child-like voice that made your very ears bleed. Yvgeny never really seemed to mind.

"Ludo, sir, I want to get this out of way first. I feel you may never get chance to get Star's wand as you've been looking for."

"Yes, I've noticed too... But I've come up with a solution to this: make her greatest strength her weakness."

"And... how do you plan to do so?"

"You've told me before, during your time scouting out the local government of the area these 'Diaz's' live in, that these people in higher positions don't generally like having uncommon things known to the public. Star's magic, if I'm right, may just be categorized under the 'uncommon'."

"So you plan to get government involved? How will that help?"

"They'll see that someone has been doing actual magic in this Echo Creek and will contain it the best they can rather then let it flourish. Ignorant and quite selfish, I must say, but it sure does help our case, doesn't it?"

"Yes, I see where you're going with this. But every time we've been to Earth dimension Star has refused to use wand. How will we manage to get her to use wand?"

"Simple, Agent Buff Frog, very simple..."

A maniacal laugh rang through the entire castle.

* * *

 **This time skip is more than a regular time skip fore it consists of a scene change as well! How exquisite.**

* * *

The bus got back to the Diaz's house earlier than expected today. Having more time to goof off at home made Star skip off the bus and up to the front door with joy. Marco followed up behind her calmly. What they never seemed to see was the ever staring eyes glues to the two of them as the bus left again. There was a certain rumor going around the school that just refused to reach the two's ears. This was quite understandable. After all two non-related friends, one boy and one girl (neither of which people could genuinely call 'ugly'), were living under the same roof. Everyone knew there was things going down in that house even though there wasn't.

They walked inside to see Mr. and Mrs. Diaz huddled up next to the TV watching something. Mrs. Diaz perked up as they walked in.

"Oh, kids! How was school?"

Marco walked into the kitchen to grab the snack he always ate after school.

"Just as good as it always is." Just then he caught sight of the TV screen to see an old memory of his. It took a second to realize what that meant. Oh god, not the home movies. Anything but the home movies! Every time one of his parents found an old cassette while cleaning they _always_ ended up watching it along with 20 others. Looks like they found them again. Star was already being called over by the parents to watch. Marco let his cheeks flush out and ran over to his friend, shielding her eyes from the horrific embarrassments that haunted the screen.

"Star Doesn't need to see that, heheh!" He started pushing her away from the living room.

"But Marcoooooo" She whined "I wanna see what was on the magic picture box!"

"It's called a television and no. No you don't."

She broke out of his grip. "Heck yeah I do!" She ran back over to the TV and sat down next to his parents. Mr. Diaz looked over at his son.

"C'mon Marco, it's fine. Watch them with us!"

"No! Those things are embarrassing!"

Star refused to take her eyes off the screen. "Why? It's only a baby." She reached her had out to the screen trying to catch such an adorable child and was extremely disappointed to see that she couldn't. "What is this thing anyway? Is it like a window, or a portal with glass over it or something?"

Mrs. Diaz laughed as the baby on the screen fell onto its rear. "No no, honey, it's a way of reliving the past. Here on Earth we have these things called cameras that can record moments in time, like this one, and can be replayed on the TV. Right now your watching Marco take his first steps."

Star gasped in delight. "OHMIGOSH MARCO THAT'S YOU!? YOU WERE SO FRICKEN ADORABLE!"

Marco turned away and mumbled. "Hmph, I'm still adorable."

"What was that? I can't here you over the sound of this pure cuteness overload!"

Mr. Diaz got up and walked over to his son. "C'mon, Marco, if Star's enjoying it I know you will, too."

"Ugh, fine! If it'll get you guys to stop bugging me over it." He let his father guide him over to the TV and they sat down.

As the tapes played through Marco's childhood he could only watch as his entire life spilled over to his friend sitting right there, trying his hardest not to blush as Star constantly told him how much of an adorable baby child he was.

His first steps and words came and passed as the scene changed to his first birthday, his tiny baby face covered in icing from the bit of cake he was given. Star's eyes lit up in adoration while Marco shrank into his hoodie. The scene changed again and again, showing more of Marco's young, infantile life. Him playing outside, a few Halloweens and Christmases (holidays that sparked Star's curiosity), and eventually his first day of school. He seemed so excited to go. Mrs. Diaz just had to make a comment.

"Ooooh, you looked so cute back then! Remember how much you wanted to go to school for the first time? And finally your big day arrives and you're beaming like the sun!"

Star had to let out a giggle of glee.

"And the you came home crying that day because you scraped your elbow."

Marco shrank further into his hoodie.

The scene moved onto Marco playing with two others, much younger Ferguson and Alfonso. After a bit of them playing together it showed Marco running and crying up to the camera. He had cut open his knee, the two others right behind ready to comfort him. Each tape showed more and more of Marco's young life and as time sped by on the screen Star became aware of two patterns. First, she wasn't sure if this was with all parents but Marco's REALLY like to capture every part of their only son's childhood. Second, she was beginning to see why Marco ended up being called the 'Safe Kid'. Every new memory shared by the tapes or his parents right there always seemed to end in Marco getting physically hurt in some way. All this time Marco had just suffered from some bad luck as a child and grew up learning to take extra precautions. Star could only feel hurt for her friend. She felt sorry Marco had to deal with that as a child.

As the final tape finished Mr. Diaz grabbed the old video camera from behind the TV.

"I say we make one more memory for our collection, guys. I'm sure I speak for all of us in saying we all want to remember the time Star came to visit us from Mewni to make our lives just that much better."

Everyone, of course, agreed to this and bunched up together. As Star looked up to the camera and smiled she found herself unintentionally slipping a hand up to Marco's shoulder in a warm embrace, holding her friend close. Marco noticed this and could only enjoy this moment, knowing deep down that it would never last forever. Might as well make it last while he could.

He put his own hand around her shoulder and smiled as well.

* * *

 _ **Woo, how about that ending, guys? The whole home-movie idea was suggested by I'mChokingOnAnOlive so thank him/her/it/idfk for such a heartwarming ending. Want your idea posted as well? Just let me know in the reviews! I'm no stranger to a good suggestion.**_


	8. Weanies

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. What's goin' on wi**_ _ **th you? You doin' good? That's nice.**_

 _ **Ok review tiem-**_

 _ **Guest sorta: You got it, meng!**_

 _ **Anonymims: Evil Ludo worries me, too. There's a storm brewin' and only one otp can stop it.**_

 ** _Not much else to say, just that this chapter was inspired by and is dedicated to Guest sorta. It's mostly a silly chapter and offers very little to the plot. Just a heads up. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Weanies**

Dreams are a very curious thing. Some can be frivolous and silly, others can be serious and melancholy, some can even be so euphoric it makes some people wake up in a rather... sticky situation. But in this case, in this very _real_ feeling dream, Star wasn't sure what to make of it. Everything was glassy, cloudy, misty, extremely hard to see anything. The edge of her sight seemed to be completely opaque, shrouded in a shadow so dark it was as if this dream were being eaten by the void itself. Inside of this shadowy ring it was hard to make out any definite shapes. Though she could make out a very tall chair. Who ever was in this chair spoke with a very muffled voice.

 _"We just need his help. They were pretty close a while ago, I'm sure he can get us where we need to be."_

Another voice spoke but it was impossible to make out what it said.

 _"You see, we can use his abilities to create a shield, one so strong it will force her to use a-"_ The other voice spoke again _, "yes, exactly. And once all is said and done, we will have what is rightfully ours. Mewni will once more be in the hands of the monsters that had inhabited it long ago!"_

A shrill laugh caused Star to wake with a start. She sat in her bed, breathing heavily, her face drenched in sweat. Who was that was talking? It sounded so familiar yet... not quite like anything she'd heard before. Was what she seen even real? If so, how could she have possibly seen it at all? Did she use magic unintentionally? She did feel rather faint.

A quick glance at the clock that read 2:56 was all it took to bring Star back into a sleeping position, but she knew she wouldn't be falling asleep for the rest of the night. Should she wake Marco and tell him about it? He might have some good insight on the matter. No, last time he didn't get any sleep he went absolutely crazy. Just because she couldn't sleep doesn't mean she had to disturb another.

* * *

 **If all time skips were the same, would they all be perfect or would we have never had the notion of perfection to begin with?**

* * *

As Marco sat at the breakfast table he could only see that Star seemed rather distracted by something. Maybe she was just tired, or maybe she was actually thinking about something ahead of time for once. Marco hoped it was the latter, he knew Star had a bad habit of not thinking things through.

"Hey Star, something wrong? You're a lot more quiet than usual."

"Huh?" She seemed to jump in her seat, "Oh! Oh, yeah, sorry. Just a bit tired is all."

Marco's dreams had shattered.

"What, couldn't sleep last night? I mean, less than usual that is."

"Yeah I had this... really weird dream..."

Something in the back of Star's mind told her not to tell Marco about it all. Maybe she was just overreacting about all of this, it probably wouldn't be best to get the Safe Kid all worked up.

"Nightmare? Yeah, those can be a pain. Wanna talk about it or is it, like, super personal?"

"It's, uh... personal. Yeah, I'd like to keep it to myself."

If Marco said that he wasn't disappointed by this he would have been lying. Ever since Star started making a lot of progress on behaving like a regular Earth girl he'd found talking to her was a lot more pleasing than it had been in the past. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the lack of pure crazy, though he knew that wasn't it. She could still be just as crazy as always when she wanted to be. Almost felt like a breath of fresh air to the boy.

Just then, Mrs. Diaz came in the door with a grocery bag in her hand. It seemed a little early to be going grocery shopping, especially on a school day. What the kids didn't realize was that was her trick, getting to the store when no one else was there yet.

"Hey, kids! Just got dinner for the next few nights. We're having taco's tonight, grilled chicken and green beans on Friday, and for Saturday: hot dogs!"

"WOOOOH!" Marco practically leapt from his seat. Marco always loved hot dogs. Having a Mexican father and an American mother meant having the best of both Mexican and American dishes. Star looked confused.

"What's a 'hot dog'?"

Marco gasped comically hard at this.

"They don't have hot dogs on Mewni?!" She shook her head in denial. "Oooooh nononono, that's not alright. You just GOTTA have one of these beauties asap!"

Star agreed, rather curious herself as to what could possibly be so spectacular about these things.

 _Eh, I'm sure it's fine._ She thought to herself.

* * *

 **But not all time skips are the same which means the possibility for perfection still exists.**

* * *

"I still don't understand how you managed to misplace your wand. I swear, you really need to clean your room."

Star almost looked hurt by this. "How can you say that? My room's not that bad!"

But it was, it was an absolute clutter. Clothes were strewn across the floor, her bed sheets had been tossed all over the place, and small toys could be found all over the place. Star always seemed so fascinated by the smaller, colorful objects that children usually play with. Marco wasn't sure what to think of that.

"Star, you lost your wand in that black hole of a room and now you made us miss the bus because of that. It's a problem and you know it."

They were walking down the street, hoping to be able to get to school on time. Well, at least, Marco was. Star couldn't give less of a hoot if they just skipped school for the day. Incidentally that was exactly what was about to happen because just as they were making their way into the shopping district of Echo Creek Star happened to catch sight of a little hot dog stand on the side of the road.

"Marco! Marcomarcomarco, it's a hot dog stand! You said you wanted me to try one of those asap, right? Why not right now?"

"But Star, if we stop now we'll never make it to school on time!"

"Pfffft, whatever. Why do we even need to go to school every single day? I think we can take the day to ourselves."

"But-"

"C'mon!" She grabbed the boy's wrist and dragged him over to the stand. The man looked down at Marco with glee.

"Marco, my favorite customer! What can I ge- wait... shouldn't you be in school?"

Star covered Marco's mouth before he could answer. "School's out today!"

"Oh good! That just means more business. Now what can I get you two adorable children?"

Marco's stomach sank. This guy thought they were dating! He decided to just play it off, better than wasting time explaining.

"Get me one of the usual and one plain."

"You got it, kid."

In no time at all the two had some nice warm hot dogs in their hands. Marco gave the man some money and they were on their way again. Marco immediately started to devour his food while Star just looked at hers. Something had just dawned on her: why were they called hot dogs? Were they made of actual dogs? Well of course they were, why else would they be called such a thing.

"MARCO!"

He jumped and dropped the last bit of dog and looked down at it, disappointed.

"Marco! How could you!? You're a monster!"

"What? What did I do!? All I did was eat it!"

"Exactly! You just ate a dog! You people just eat pets? That's horrible!"

Marco's face fell from worry to that classic 'you-gotta-be-kidding-me' look.

"Seriously? Star, they aren't-"

"Save it! I've figured you people out. You think this can go unnoticed? I'll tell you people all how horrible you are! I'll show you all!"

Marco just stood there and watched as Star spun slowly in circles, continuing to make meaningless threats and waving her arms in the air. They were starting to raise some attention, one pair of eyes that was watching them decided to walk over to them.

"Tough life, huh Marco."

"Janna?" He turned to see his friend standing there next to him, smirking in entertainment. "Wait, why are you here?"

"Skipping school, duh. Isn't that what you're doing?"

"Well... I guess so. Just kinda hard when you're skipping with the least inconspicuous person ever."

"Well well, look at you! The safe kid finally stretching out his boundaries."

"I'm not the safe kid! Why is everyone seriously calling me that! Oh, watch out." He pulled Janna over and out of the way of a biker.

She looked over at him, continuing to smirk. "Safe kid."

Just then, they heard a scream from the man they had just bought hot dogs from. As they looked over at the man they saw he was in need of help from an attacker. That attacker being Star.

"TELL ME WHERE THEY'RE MADE!"

"I'M TELLIN' YA, GIRL, I JUST BUY THEM! I DON'T MAKE 'EM!"

Marco let out a sigh and Janna snicked.

"Star! No! Don't do that!" Marco ran over to the furious princess, who was practically foaming at the mouth.

"STAR STOP!" He tried to pull him away from the man to no avail, the girl had a death grip. Janna decided she would come over and help, too. When they finally managed to pull her off they fell backwards onto the sidewalk. It was that time that they saw that a few cops had come. Someone called 911. Janna's eyes widened.

"Oh no, dude, I ain't gettin' caught today!"

She tried to get up and run but there were to many spectators circling them, there was no where to run. Marco was still holding Star back from tearing the man's face off. Three cops pushed through the crowd and grabbed the kids, one of which was still kicking and screaming. They were pushed into the back a of police car, Star's hands hand-cuffed together, while the police were rattling off what seemed like some random laws. Janna was the most miserable out of all of them.

"I didn't even do anything, why am I getting thrown in the mix?"

"Well, you were there to grab Star when they showed up, I guess they just assumed you were with us."

"Ugh, whatever. Let's just get this over with."

The police cruiser pulled away from the hot dog stand and towards the station.

* * *

 **But what if perfection doesn't exist and never will? What if perfection is just an idea we as humans created ourselves?**

* * *

 ** _SLAM!_**

The holding cell door was shut and locked as the three fugitives sat on the bench on the opposite side. Marco looked over at a now much more calm Star.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Star gasped. "That hurts, you know? You're words hurt me."

"Does it matter at this point? You got us arrested because you can't listen to me for more than 2 seconds! What now? We're never going to graduate or, if we do, how am I gonna get into college? Oh god, my future! I had so much riding on my education!"

"Oh shut up." Janna was already up again and standing by the cell door. Whoever was watching them just decided to up and leave. Marco couldn't see what she was doing but could tell she was fiddling with something. When he finally got up and started walking over to her out of curiosity she just pushed the door open. "Ta-da!"

Star sprang up and ran over to Janna, latching her in a huge hug.

"Janna! I didn't know you could get us out of the dungeons!" She let go of the master lock-pick.

Marco wasn't too convinced. "But wait, they still have records of us _and_ the surveillance tapes. How do you plan on dealing with all that?"

"Easy, follow me." Janna left the cell with the others and made her way over to the desk that sat in the corner. On top of it was a computer which was already on. Janna started tapping away at the keyboard and before they knew it their criminal record was deleted as well as a section of the security footage. Marco's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wow, Janna, that was awesome! It's almost as if the author got lazy and decided to just let us out. How convenient!"

Star looked over at Marco. "Author? You mean like a god or something?"

"Yeah sure, whatever."

Janna looked over at the two of them. "I think it's kind of like a 'Time Skip Lord' rather than a god."

"Close enough." Marco shrugged.

And then they left the police station and it was good.

* * *

 _ **Yeeaaaahh, I don't know... I decided to just give the ending a comical take because I was running out of time. Just a heads up: the next chapter or two will be more of those major plot point event sorta chapters so if you leave a suggestion on what you wanna see I'll still do it, just not immediately.**_


	9. Lost in a Dream

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Hope you guys like this chapter, spent a lot of time planning it. If you DON'T like it, feel free to tell me why. (Jus dun b 2 mean, am sensitive) Not gonna say much here, so lets just get into them reviews!**_

 _ **SpaceDwarfScarce: Trust me, Ludo's plan gon get better. And I know what you mean but the suggestion kinda called for Star to be oblivious so honestly, why not? Besides how long would it take you to readjust to a completely new reality that was relatively much more advanced than your own?**_

 _ **Anonymims: Wait, really? Oh crap, I didn't even realize. To be completely honest I thought you had checked the Wiki or something to get that name and just didn't bother to look it up myself XD. Now let's make Star and hot dogs a thing... only not in that weird rule 34 way. Ok, now that I think about it this is a bad idea.**_

 _ **SozI'mABeach: Nah. I've been thinking about just not doing the time skip things but then I'm like, nah. Consistency an' shit. Plus I kinda like 'em.**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: No problem and you know I'm always fabulous.**_

 _ **Guest sorta: Well you have some good ideas in that brain sponge of yours.**_

 _ **MightyMangoes666 (love the name): Honestly, I completely agree with the dialogue bit, in fact I was hoping someone would bring it up just so I know I'm not crazy. I really do want to add more description to my writing so just bear with me until then. And I am truly glad you give enough of a shit about my crappy fic to give it a review, means a lot! And no, the time skips ain't goin nowhere. I don't care how much people don't like 'em, I fuckin' love 'em!**_

 _ **If you couldn't tell I've been getting a LOT of feedback on my "time skips". Don't expect them to go anywhere, though. I ain't getting rid of them that easy. But, I will change the scene changes and memory breaks to those horizontal lines. That I WILL do.**_

 _ **Alright let's get on with the good shit, then.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Lost in a Dream**

Marco woke up that morning not remembering whether the previous day was a dream or not. Was it really possible that Star could have gotten them arrested all because of her own ignorance? It seemed likely enough, after all this was Star he was thinking about. One crazy teenager that still had so much to learn before she was ready to be an active member in an Earth society. But would she have enough time to do that?

What if Star had to go back home before Marco was done teaching her. He never liked leaving unfinished business behind... or being left behind _by_ his unfinished business. But Star seemed to be more than that. She was more than just some project he wanted to finish before she ended up leaving his care. She was his friend now and, since it's been a good 2 weeks since she had entered his life, he could almost say 'best friend'. There was something wrenching these thoughts in his stomach. No, his chest.

It must have been the fact that he knew she would never last forever, heck _no one_ ever lasted forever, but the thought still lingered in his mind from awhile ago. Back when he really started to accept Star for what she was after she accepted him after watching the home movies. They had talked about it afterwards, how Star had "Just so much sympathy for him" and how Marco didn't need anything like that.

* * *

"Marco, I had no idea"

They were sitting in Star's room at the time. She had pulled them there specifically to talk about it.

"No idea about what?"

"Why they called you the 'Safe kid'-"

"I told you, I'm not the safe kid!"

"No, Marco, it's fine. You really are, I've seen it. But now I know why." her voice was soft and somewhat melodic. It nearly put Marco in a trance. "You've just grown up that way, surrounded by bad luck."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I had a _great_ childhood."

"That's not what the... videos, were they called? That's not what the videos said. Marco, I know me being here is probably hard for you, especially with how... crazy I can get, but maybe it's a good thing?"

"What? I'm still not entirely sure what you mean. Why are you being so weirdly emotional about all of this?"

"Maybe we can help each other. My let-loose attitude can break you out of your shell and your more reserved perspective might be able to harden me."

"What are you even talking about?"

* * *

Now that he thought back on it, maybe her words had some sense to them. Maybe he was called the 'Safe Kid' for a reason. He definitely had started to enjoy Star's antics since she's arrived, and because of this he could see just how holed up in his little world he could be. Maybe it _was_ time to let go and just have fun. But then there was something in the back of his mind that was blinding him. Literally, there was a flash of bright light in the back of his head that had been bothering him for awhile now but its meaning and source were completely unknown. It felt like a memory, but how could it be? He had just woken up and the day before had been filled with the home videos. Maybe it was a dream.

Marco decided to get up and forget about it, deciding it had to have just been a dream. It was at that moment he realized there was nothing for him to get up from. He looked around and saw nothing but infinite blackness, a darkness deeper than anything he could ever have imagined. There were small dots of light in places, some bigger than others and some seemed to even form shapes like disks, but they all seemed so far away.

Was this space? Couldn't be, how could he be drifting around in space if he were breathing? _This_ must be a dream. The only other explanation could be that 'void' thing that Star had talked about before. But how could that even be possible in the first place. Speaking of Star, there she was now: floating around just below him, or... to his left? No, top right. Well, she was around him, which was the best description he could come up with. Floating in 0 gravity meant there were no orientations. There was no up or down or right or left or any of that good stuff. Marco had just now realized this as well as the fact that Star was still asleep. Or maybe she was unconscious.

Marco figured the only way he could check would be to make his way over to her. But how was he going to manage that? There was no atmosphere around him to get any friction off of, so it should have been impossible for him to push his body, right? He found this to be wrong as he waved his arms anyway. His body gently floated over to his friend. This seemed unlikely as well as illogical but it was a problem to be thought over at another time.

He grabbed Star's shoulders and shook, hoping it would wake her up.

"Star! Hey, Star! Wake up, Star, c'mon."

The girl's eyes fluttered, opening slowly. She looked around trying to take in her surroundings. When she had thoroughly been startled and had 'jumped', or more like curled into a ball at a very fast speed, her widened eyes darted over to Marco.

"W-where am I?"

Marco's voice dropped in disappointment. "That... I was hoping you would know."

"Ok... and why am I here?"

"That was the other thing I was going to ask you."

"And... who are you?"

"What?"

"Who are you? Wait, better question, who am I?"

"Star, seriously, now's not the time to be playing games. We need to figure out where we are and how to get home."

"Well I'm sorry if I have no idea who you are, who I am, or what any of this is."

"You're serious!? You genuinely can't remember anything?"

"Well, there's this bright flash of light and then... nothing. That's all I can remember."

"Flash of light? So it wasn't part of a dream..."

Marco hadn't the faintest clue of what was going on between the two of them. Star couldn't even remember her own name, let alone who _he_ was! There was something about that idea that seemed to cut deep inside him. Like a red hot blade severing something he had held dear up until this point. He figured maybe some explaining of who star was could help jog her memory.

He started from the beginning. Who she was and where she came from. For some reason that seemed to come back to her fairly well but it felt like that was due to something other than Marco's words. He couldn't explain it but Star seemed to remember herself regardless of his own words. This just confused him more.

Memories tend to be a rather fickle thing. They can be created just as easily as they can be taken away. A lot of people never realize this, however, because the situations in which a memory can shatter or sever don't come around all that often. It doesn't take a lot for the brain to give up what it doesn't want and what Star's brain rejected is something not even psychologically trained Marco could figure out. Everything excited Star, she was fascinated by everything and anything that crossed her path. Sure, she may not have liked moving away to another dimension for some undenounced span of time but in the end she seemed much more fascinated by Earth than her life back on Mewni. What else could have possibly made Star's brain just throw out memories?

There was that one time they had fought that little bird-thing, Ludo, and Star lost a massive amount of energy after casting two rather advanced spells in succession. Could the same principals alter one's mind as well? Marco tried his best to help Star regain her past experiences but no matter what he tried it didn't seem to work. Nothing wanted to work. The most she remembered after an hour and a half was her name and a bit of childhood back on Mewni. Marco was devastated, it was as if he had lost an old friend for good. The only possibility he could hope for was maybe she'll begin to remember in time. It seemed like a long shot but what other options did he have? He looked at Star, who genuinely seemed to be trying her best to remember. Maybe a hug could put him at ease...

"Hey, uh, Star? There is one thing I hope you remember you liked."

"And, what exactly would that be?"

Every other time they had hugged in the past it had always been Star who initiated it. This time, it was Marco. He pulled her in close, embracing her with whatever emotions he could muster. It took Star a second before she decided to return the show of affection, wrapping her own arms around him. Marco could feel the warmth overtaking his beating heart as the pounding of Star's broke through.

He started to think of how long this might last. How long it could be until they made it back home, until they saw another living thing. The entire situation scared Marco. He never wanted to die floating in space forever, that always meant he would go out alone.

But this embrace made him realize he wasn't alone. With Star, he was far from it.

He held on a bit harder and his head started to spin. There was something breaking through, something he was trying to remember.

* * *

Marco walked to the back window of the kitchen that overlooked his back yard. It wasn't the biggest property in the neighborhood but it was big enough for Star to practice her spells. She was standing out there with her large spell book, the little blue Glossaryck hovered just above it. She was in a kind of battle stance, attempting a new spell.

Marco walked out the back door, intrigued by the concept of magic, and decided to watch from the back step. Star hadn't seen him as he sat down.

Glossaryck watched her from his position above the book.

"Ease your mind into it, Star. Don't try to create too much, this is only a simple sparkling spell."

Star planted her feet and yelled "Glitter blast!" The front of the wand let out a few sparkling balls of light that dissipated seconds into their life span. They sparkled and popped and reminded Marco of sparklers on the 4th of July. Star was ecstatic.

"Ha! Take that, magic! You can't keep me down."

Glossaryck seemed pleased. "Very well done, Star! You'll be casting bigger spells in no time. Now do it again."

They had decided not to tell Glossaryck about the whole thing with Ludo and the puppies, though they both had the feeling he knew anyway. Neither were sure whether this guy was a psychic or not.

* * *

Marco yanked away from Star.

"Holy crap!"

"What? What is it?"

"I just remembered something. You were out practicing you spells and- YOUR SPELLS! Tell me you have your wand with you. Or even your dimensional scissors. Gosh, why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Star, somewhat confused by this, decided to check the little star shaped bag floating gently by her side. It was entirely empty. She shook her head.

"UGH I had so much hope riding on that."

As if by a miracle, or maybe just coincidence, Star caught sight of one of the many rings that surrounded them. Though this one was... different. Bigger, no... closer. It was so close Star could reach out and touch it, so she did. There was a weird film spread throughout the center of the ring that seemed to distort itself without reason. Her hand passed right through it. She pointed it out to Marco.

His eyes widened. "It's... it's a portal! Quick, Star, jump in it!"

The feeling of safety, hope, and albeit hysteria had taken over Marco. He 'swam' his way in behind the girl. Their bodies had left the void.

But who says your mind ever leaves?

* * *

 _ **Damn, long chapter. I'm still not sure what that ending means myself but it sounds nice, don't it? Next chapter is gonna get heeeaaaavvvyyyyy and since I don't have to work this weekend it will hopefully be out tomorrow. Really excited to get this bit of story out finally.**_

 _ **Extra reminder that I probably wont be able to get to any suggestions until maybe after the next chapter.**_


	10. The Persistence of Memory

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Hope you guys are ready to question your reality because fuck, this shit's gonna get philosophical up here! And I mean some grade A metaphysics!**_

 _ **But first: some reviews-**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Oh, it's about to get super trippy up in here. And thanks, I like to pride myself on my update schedule.**_

 _ **Anomymims: Nah, meng, you're a PhenomeMOM! And now this little birdie must go! I have important matters to attend to. CHEEP!**_

 _ **Guest sorta: Omg, I'm the exact same way. I melt every time I read a hug between the two or write it in myself.**_

 _ **Rightio! Let's get right into this steaming pile of... words...**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **The Persistence of Memory**

Marco landed on a soft ground on the other side of the portal. Face down. He spat out the sand that had managed to litter the inside of his oral cavity. Star was already sitting up and looking at the world around them. When Marco adjusted his own eyes to the sight he could only gasp in astonishment. He was sure he had seen this somewhere before, maybe in school? That's right, it was an old famous painting!

Around them were clocks absolutely everywhere but they were... melting. They seemed to drip off of surfaces and hang around tree branches. Instead of beginning to wonder exactly where they were Marco instead began to wonder how such an image had made it to Earth in the first place. This dimension was clearly older than whenever the painting was made which begged the question of how the artist had managed to get a glimpse of such a place. Maybe dimensional travel wasn't so lost in Earth's culture as he thought it was.

Star had already gotten to her feet. She was wandering, now, like she always does when something catches her eye enough to cause some sort of short circuit in her mind. Marco immediately got up onto his his feet and followed, kicking sand up as he went.

 _What is this place..._ His thoughts wanted to wander around just as Star was but Marco managed to stay focused. They needed to know where they are and how to get back home. A quick inspection of terrain yielded the sight of a dark form on the horizon. His legs seemed to carry him that direction without command. Whether he had a choice in the matter or not he wasn't too sure...

Star's mind was wandering with her body. Time seemed to be the only factor helping Star to remember anything because it wasn't until now that she had a specific thought come to her mind.

* * *

There wasn't much that Star didn't like about the Earth dimension but there were even fewer things she could genuinely say she loved.

When Star saw Oskar for the first time she felt her heart melt and drip down to her toes. Who was this guy? He was talented with his little key-tar, somehow managed to keep that devilishly-handsome-for-a-really-small-kid look, and even had his own place! Even if it _was_ just a car he wasn't legally allowed to drive. There was something about this man-child that just screamed 'love at first sight'.

Well, almost.

Star wasn't sure what it was but every time she wanted to get closer to Oskar there was something preventing her. Any regular person would say it was just because she had a crush and was nervous but Star wasn't too sure. She could go talk to this kid no problem, Star wasn't known to get nervous about things like this. After all she had dated the literal son of the devil, what was there to be nervous about?

Maybe it was this feeling inside of her that maybe, just maybe, she didn't really want this man. Maybe she was holding herself back for something, or someone, better. She knew deep down that she wanted Oskar to be her own but then she remembered something crucial Marco had taught her once:

"There's a big difference between a need and a want, Star. If you ever want to make it in life you need to know the difference between the two. If you go after everything you've ever wanted you'll feel empty in life, unaccomplished. If you succeed in obtaining what you need, you'll find that it's what you always wanted to begin with."

But what was it that Star wanted and what was it that she needed?

* * *

"Star! C'mon, we're moving."

Star's eyes refused to avert from the clocks but her body followed behind Marco. The sand wasn't too hard of a terrain to cover. Sure, it was a bit tougher to walk through and drained them of energy quicker than if they had just been walking on asphalt but they both knew it could have been much, much worse. It took a good while to make it to the structure Marco had seen and, though neither of them realized it through their continued amazement of the place they were in, they were both getting rather hungry.

When they arrived at their destination the sight of a large walled platform astonished the two. The walls were covered in small monitors that consistently flickered between different views. Just outside the platform there was a large machine that seemed to have the soul purpose of spinning a... large hollow gear?

 _This certainly is... strange..._

They didn't know it but both Star and Marco thought this at the exact same time. It wasn't until Marco had finally decided to step up onto this platform that he noticed the rather large, light blue man standing in the center of it. He wasn't fat, no, but when his description comes out as 'large' it's because of his absurd height and ripped muscle mass. He was adorned in a short white robe that made it look like his butt cheeks might slip out at any time. Marco felt shivers run up his spine just from the thought.

The blue man's voiced boomed overhead as Marco set his foot down on the black marble of the platform.

"Marco Diaz. I was wondering how long it would take you two to make it here."

"What? H-how do you... know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about this realm. Mostly due to the fact that I am its sole resident."

Star looked at the man with realization. "Wait, I know you!"

Marco looked taken aback. "You do?"

"Yeah! I've read old manuscripts on this guy." She took a few steps towards the man in question. "You're Father Time!"

Father Time chuckled in delight. "Why, yes I am, little Star. I'm not surprised you recognized me." He turned around to show them a friendly face adorned with a thin yet abnormally long beard. "Your dimension is one of the few that is genuinely still fascinated in my presence in this universe."

"Wait, _you're_ Father Time? I didn't think you were real!" Marco was less confused at the situation in front of him and more amazed that he was even there. It felt like he was chosen to be in this exact spot at this exact time.

"Oh, my reality could be debated for eons, as it has been. But that isn't what the two of you are here for."

"What are we here for? Did you bring us here on purpose?"

"Perhaps, Marco, perhaps. Or maybe your own conscious led you here. After that bit of action you went through, I wouldn't be surprised if you were here looking for answers."

"Yeah, actually. I don't really remember much at all of what brought us here. And Star didn't remember _anything_ until I tried to make her remember."

"Yes, I saw that." He made a small head nod towards the monitors. "But it was in vain for you were not what helped to, as you say, 'jog her memory'. The only external force that can help with amnesia, whether short term or long, is Time and only Time. As one moves forward in Time it is up to Time to decide whether or not the person experiencing this loss of memory will be reunited with their past glories or not."

"That... makes sense. Glad I know that now. But I _am_ still curious about how we got here. Care to shed some light on that?"

"Certainly! The fact that you drifted past the portal to my realm was no coincidence. It may be the only portal to have ever formed, as well as the only one that _can_ form, through natural purposes but that does not mean its mobility is limited. That portal found the two of you for a reason and, if you want my honest assumption, it was probably that rather cute show of affection you had that drew it in close. Not a lot of people ever really visit the void anymore, alive that is, so it must have found the only two living beings present at the Time."

Marco realized that every time this guy said the word 'time' he seemed to put a bit of an emphasis on it. Whenever he said it it felt like a sharp punch to the soul.

"So that was the void Star had mentioned before. But... what exactly _is_ the void. It looked a lot like pictures of space I've seen from back in my own dimension."

"Well, in a way, they are rather similar. The void is a vast emptiness, save for the atmosphere that fills it, that harbors portals to various worlds. Unlike your space, however, it is man made. When creatures discovered the way to traverse in between various realms they decided it was in their best interest to create a sort of 'super highway' to link the different doorways. It is quite the curious thing, actually, in how it manages to know exactly where you want to go and bring you there. It can sense your emotions and, as it turns out, you two wanted answers over anything. Your use of the word 'dimension' is very biased, by the way. The Void is the only real separate dimension in this universe that any sentient creature has managed to reach."

"Only separate dimension? What do you mean by that? I mean, no doubt places like Mewni and Earth are completely separate dimension, right?"

"Wrong. Calling it another dimension ensues that they are in a completely different universe, which is wrong entirely. Mewni is but another planet floating around some distant sun just like Earth is. All the dimensions your 'dimensional scissors' can reach are all part of the same universe. Every time you step through a portal you are harmlessly cutting through the fabric of the space-time continuum itself, a hole that bends the fourth dimension itself to bring two places in the third dimension close enough to step through."

"I'm... not sure I follow..."

"Think of it this way: The third dimension is a nothing but a quilt," Father Time clapped his hands and a large quilt appeared in front of him. "Individual patches in this quilt are solar systems and galaxies. The space around this quilt is the fourth dimension. Say you want to get from here" he pointed to a spot on the far left of the quilt "to here" he pointed to a spot on the far right "in a mere instant. That would require travel faster than the speed of light, which is _not_ impossible, I might add, but very impractical. How will you do it? Well if we just bend the places together" the quilt folded over, bringing the two places pointed out by Father Time closer together "then all we need is a little incision" a pair of regular scissors appeared out of thin air and cut a hole through the two points "and voila! We have something that a lot of you Earth folks like to call a 'worm hole'."

"Ah, that seems... reasonable. I think. Now, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did I lose all my memories?"

"Marco, let me ask you something. Do you think Time moves along in a linear fashion?"

He definitely wasn't expecting such a sudden change in question. "Well, yeah of course. The past has already happened, the present is being experienced, and the future has yet to come. I know it's more complicated than that but it's the easiest way to describe it."

"Yes, that is how one experiences Time. When you're born a course in the plane of Time is plotted out for you. You move along in life as if nothing could scrape you from such a track. Of course, what you do in this Time is completely up to you, but the Time you're thrown into is not for anyone except Time to decide. Time itself, however, is not confined to a single, one dimensional line. In fact it moves along the plane I mentioned before, able to travel in any direction, at any angle, at any speed, and at any point. Many sentient lifeforms believe that it's impossible to break from their set course in life, that we are all doomed to experience our lives one second at a time from birth until death. But there _is_ a way.

"What? How!?"

Father Time chuckled at the young boy's energy. "Oh, such curiosity. Not many people that come here are quite like you. They come for answers but I end up turning them away for their... ulterior motives. You, on the other hand, you are genuinely curios. I respect that. In regards to your question: it takes mass amounts of energy. Not just any energy, though, you can't just hook a huge battery up to a Time converter and expect it to work. No, you need a special kind of energy, one that's induced by will power. And there's no better way to increase will power than pure emotion."

Father Time motioned a hand to Star, who was still busy watching random monitors on the wall. As Marco let his eyes wander over to the girl he caught a hint at what Father Time was trying to say. "You mean, if me and Star stay as... good friends we'll be able to withstand the test of time?"

"Something like that, yes. Now, I believe you asked me how the two of you had lost your memories, is that correct?"

Marco nodded his head.

"Well, will power doesn't just have its uses in Time, many have found that it can be applied to enhance magical properties, such as a magnifying glass under the sun. Well, we know now that will power is an energy, yes? Well, what if I told you that everything useful in life comes at a cost? Magic is definitely no exception, and I believe you've experienced this yourself."

Father Time snapped his fingers and Marco's eyes went distant. His memories were being altered to bring forth a specific memory:

* * *

Marco was could see Star in front of him. in between the two was a litter of puppies.

"I know but look! Magic~" She put emphasis on the last part with her little singsong voice. "You know what that means?"

"That we're going to get in major trouble for that?"

"No, silly, it means there's magical energy on Earth, too! That wouldn't work if there wasn't."

This line seemed to be louder than the rest, as if there was meant to be emphasis placed on it.

"Wait, really? That's awesome!"

"YEEAAaaahhhh..." Star was unable to keep this last exclamation up as the adrenaline started wear off. Her knees buckled and she collapsed on the bed.

"Star!?" Marco ran over to her. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just kinda... winded. That narwhal blast took a lot out of me."

"Ok, well, take it easy for the rest of the day. We'll pick up the lesson tomorrow."

"Right right..." She turned onto her side and laid on the bed, exhausted.

The scene began to fade out.

* * *

Marco's eyes refocused on where he was, looking at the tall, muscular, blue man that was explaining the universe to him.

"When Star used magic that was too powerful for her body to handle, she was drained of the only energy she had to keep her physically standing. She has yet to learn how to focus her own will power into her magic and it's already taken its tole. And believe me, Star has _quite_ a lot of will power in her. The girl's a freaking truck. But even will power has its limits and if you use too much of it in one spell undesired consequences can occur. A big enough spell can even have negative effects on those around the caster, though not as severe as the casters' effects."

"So you're telling me Star casted some huge spell that knocked both of our memories loose?"

"Precisely!"

"Then... why did she? What happened that made her cause this?"

"I think it'd be better if you saw for yourself. Star! Could you come here please?"

Star managed to peel her eyes away from the monitor she was looking at and looked back at the two others. When Marco and Star were standing next to each other one large monitor descended from somewhere above them. When it turned on it showed Star standing in the back yard with Glassaryck, Marco was sitting on the back step, it was still on pause. When Father Time hit 'play' on a small remote he took out of his robe Marco's and Star's consciousnesses were sucked into the experience.

* * *

Glossaryck was still hovering above his little book teaching Star about the importance of Magic in society while Marco sat and watched. This didn't last long, however, because a portal opened up a few feet away. Marco stood up to see what, or who, would be coming out of it. When Tom walked out they only tensed more.

"Hey, Star, long time no see!"

"Tom, what are you doing here?"

Marco finally spoke up from his little step. "Tom? As in, evil ex-boyfriend Tom?"

Tom sighed. "I'm not evil. I just have these 'anger management issues'." He said the last part with air quotes and plenty of annoyance.

"Tom, we broke up awhile ago. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, right! Silly me, where are my manners. Guys, I'd like to introduce you to a few friends of mine:"

As he said this both Ludo and Yvgeny hopped out of the portal behind Tom. Ludo smiled wickedly.

"Star Butterfly! I've come for-"

"The wand, yeah yeah, whatever. Tom, I can't believe you. Why would you bring these guys straight to me, I thought you still liked me."

"Oh, I do, but Ludo offered me something I just couldn't pass up."

Glossaryck looked over at Star. "Remember, Star, anger will only over-fuel you. Don't let it be anything other than a last resort-"

The little blue man was cut off by a rather loud 'YAAAAHHHH' coming from Marco as he ran to attack these villains. The second he made it within even 5 feet of them he was thrown off his feet by some invisible barrier. A force field! Tom, followed by the two others, walked over to Marco before he was able to pick himself up. Now that Tom was making the advances Marco easily passed through the barrier and had his hands magically bound. Star ran over, banging on the force field.

"MARCO! YOU LET HIM GO, TOM!"

"And miss out on this opportunity? Of course not!"

"Star, remember your emotions." Glossaryck warned Star again.

Star took a deep breath and aimed her wand at the group. She took a few steps back. A somewhat small bolt of red light shot at the field and was deflected away into the atmosphere. She tried again with numerous other spells but everything had the same effect. Some spells bounced off, others were absorbed entirely, others just exploded on contact blackening the grass below it. Star grew more and more irritated.

Marco struggled in Buff Frog's grasp, having his hands bound was really a huge disadvantage for him. Star could see Marco struggling as both Tom and Ludo laughed.

Star's cheeks began to glow as her facial expression sunk into a much more serious look. Ludo stopped laughing and pointed this out to Tom.

"Look! Look, this is it! She's gonna do it!"

Glossaryck grew worried. "Star! You're anger!"

Star ignored him and aimed her wand once more. It started to glow in a shade of whitish-green. Tom and Ludo smiled maliciously, Yvgeny was still uncertain about the whole ordeal.

What happened next can only be described by a blinding flash of white light.

* * *

"And you know what happened after that."

Father Time pressed pause again as Marco and Star returned to reality. Star still looked confused.

"Wait, but I still don't have a lot of context for that. Where were we? Why was Tom attacking? What does _he_ " she pointed over to Marco "have to do with my life?"

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot!" He snapped his fingers and a second, smaller monitor dropped from above them directed entirely at Star. Father Time pressed play on this one and Star went back into her little trance. Marco looked over at the monitor.

"You're showing her everything?"

"Absolutely everything."

"But wait, you said the only thing that could fix amnesia was time itself."

"Marco, come now, you're supposed to be the smart one. I _am_ time. The physical embodiment of it, anyway."

"So... what now?"

"Here's what I'm going to do: just because you were so good at listening to me I'm going to give you a second chance. I'm going to bring the two of you back to just before Star casts that final blast. All you have to do is talk to Yvgeny, there. He's the one that's bear-hugging you from behind. He's extremely uneasy about the whole ordeal and would be a prime target to let you out of his grasp. Talk to him about how if he lets this happen he'll never have the family he always wanted."

"Ok, sure, but if he _does_ let me go, then what? My wrists will still be bound."

"But your feet won't be. And I've seen you do some amazing things with those feet."

"Oh, right!" He slapped himself on the forehead "Duh!"

"Once your friend here is all caught up, I'll bring you back to your own time. Be ready to leave."

"Of course."

"And Marco, one last thing you should know."

"What is it?"

"I'd like to tell you a quick story, if I may. You see, back on Mewni a long long time ago, these was a slaughter. They like to call it Mewnipendence Day, something that's supposed to be similar to your Independence Day, but it is masked by something far lighter than it really is." Father Time's joyous grin faded. "The monsters that inhabit that world are seeking revenge and they are not afraid to go to all costs to get it. Centuries ago Mewni had a ruler by the name of Queen Nova Butterfly. She was hailed as the one truest queen, the ruler that would pull them into the golden age of civilization. She didn't go by some kittens and rainbows code of ethics to get there, either. She took the land through force and wasn't afraid to kill any monster that stood in her way. She refused to kill any Mewmans, except one, but that's another story. The monsters that inhabit the Wastelands now no longer live in fear but hunger for revenge and thirst for blood. Mewni is not just some fairy tale wonderland you may think it is. Don't let Star follow down the same path her ancestor did."

"But wait, who was it she killed? Who did Queen Nova kill?"

"That you'll learn in due time but right now it looks like your friend is starting to come to. Time to go." Father Time chuckled at his pun.

Star shook her head and blinked a few times, looking back at Marco. He returned her glare, waiting for some sort of sign that she had her memories back. When Star cracked a smile that was Marco's chance to rush to a hug. They held each other close, Marco could feel her heart pounding away in her chest. Father Time let out a little 'Awwwww'.

Marco filled her in on the plan before they left and before they knew it they were on there way back home. The last they saw of that world was a bright flash of white light.

* * *

 **Super duper awesome time skip because fuck you!**

* * *

Marco's restraints faded from his wrists as he stepped over the unconscious bodies of both Tom and Ludo. They were back in the yard now as Yvgeny bent over to pick up the two unconscious fiends. He knew he would get quite the talking to when they got back home. Maybe it was time for him to retire...

Marco and Star lept around the yard rejoicing as Glossaryck watched, a small smile stretched on his face. He looked down at a small mirror concealed by his robe sleeve.

"You told the boy?... Good." He looked back up at the two, they were in the middle of an exploding fist bump now.

"He may be the one we're looking for.

* * *

 _ **Hooooo boy, that one took me awhile. I got up at 8:30 this morning to start this chapter. It's now just passed 7 at night. Then again, I did go to see the magnificent seven today. Absolutely great movie, I must add.**_

 _ **Anyway, hope I made you think about your own existence there for a bit. I know I sure did. Then again, I do that on the daily.**_ ** _I didn't have a lot of Star in this one, sorry about that, but it's ok because the next chapter's gonna be ALL about her._**

 ** _Got a suggestion you want to see? Let me know in the reviews. Or just bash my time skips like everyone else, I don't care. Damn, I wish I had used more of them in the last two chapters._**


	11. Growth and Development

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Hope you wanted some hardcore, yet very tame, Starco going (I know someone did hint hint, wink wink, I'mChokingOnAnOlive). I'm sure you've all seen the Mewberty episode and I'm sure at least some of you were hoping to see how I would handle it. Well, here you go.**_

 _ **But first, as always, the everlasting reviews~**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Heck yeah, I'm a trippy fucker. I ain't gonna stop.  
**_ _ **Also, everyone should go check out this guy's fanfic of SvtFoE called Setup. I'm am being neither threatened nor bribed to say this (that's a lie, please come help me). It's a genuinely good story that likes to really change around the personalities of the main characters and definitely doesn't have a profuse amount of cuss words in it (more than my author's notes). I give it an undefined/10.**_

 _ **ImChokingOnAnOlive: The Time Skip Lord is pleased with your amount of worship and will hereby grant your wish for Starco.**_

 _ **Guest sorta:  
TWO THINGS:  
1) Yeah, no, let's not screw them because they tend to give me very legit and critical feedback on how to make my story better and I would like to keep that. But yeah, they are awesome!  
2) Calm down there, Professor Oak. More details about me will be released in due time. Keep checking my profile every now and again, I update it regularly.**_

 _ **Goldyxz: I'm going to try and make as much sense of what you said as possible... THIS FANFICTION LOVES YOU RIGHT BACK it's got soooo much Starco trash to come and don't worry, I'ma keep it clean as much as possible but this story'll be going somewhere eventually, if you catch my drift. THEY ARE GREAT, AREN'T THEY?! Thanks for your words of encouragement.**_

 _ **DisneyDreamer123: As do I, but not everyone shares these views.**_

 _ **SozI'mABeach: If I swear a lot in the author's notes it's not meant to offend you, more to just add a bit of comedic relief to a situation. Honestly, my constant cussing in the notes is probably why I rated this as T and not, like, K+. And I shall pour oil on whatever fire I like, thankyouverymuch. I like fire. (Also don't be sorry, you did nothing wrong.)**_

 _ **Right, let's get into that Starco trash, now.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Growth and Development**

Star looked down at the little purple heart that had just drifted steadily down to the palm of her hand in horror. It was starting.

"Oh no... how am I gonna warn Marco...?"

Just from the sheer thought of Marco the effects took hold, if only for a few seconds. Her pupils enlarged and her jaw opened slightly.

"Marco's a boy..."

* * *

 **Have a time skip, on the hous** **e. Really, no charge, completely free!**

* * *

Marco was in his room doing his homework when he noticed something was... off.

The door to his room cracked open just a bit and he could feel a pair of eyes on him but when he turned to look the door had already been closed. He turned back to his work only to feel it again. The door was open again, he could see it in the corner of his eye but when he looked it was closed. This time there was a little purple heart on the floor in front of the door. He stood up and made his way over to see what it was.

He picked it up and immediately noticed that it was thin as paper. There was nothing written on it, though it was too small for anything to begin with, so he wasn't sure what it could possibly be used for. When he turned around, ready to go back to his bed and contemplate this later, he was nudged by the door. He froze, clearly whoever was on the other side hadn't seen him yet. With a movement as quick as he could manage he grabbed the side of the door. Unfortunately for him, it was slammed on his fingers. Whoever was on the other side was rather strong.

"SON OF A-"

Mr. Diaz heard his son's outcries and chuckled to himself.

"Son, you shouldn't talk about yourself like that!" he called to Marco.

Mrs. Diaz had a playful half smile-half frown. "Heeeey!"

* * *

 **We've discussed the perfect time skip in previous lessons. Now we must move onto whether some skips are right or whether they are wrong.**

* * *

Waiting for the bus Marco realized Star was keeping her distance. What's more, locks of her hair were pulled in front of her face. Marco could still see bits of purple through her hair, though, and thought back to the small paper heart he found on his floor. Her back was hunched over.

"Star, what are you doing all the way over there? You ok?"

"Yeeaaah, totally fine, absolutely fine."

"You sure? I mean, what's with the hair-"

" _Nothing!_ Nothing. I'm fine, Marco, I'm fine."

He could have sworn he heard her say something under her breath. Just one sharp word but he wasn't sure what it was. Did she say boil?

* * *

 **Time skips persist throughout reality but can one say the same for ethics?**

* * *

Star didn't eve bother to come out of her room the next day. Marco was starting to really worry about her. He went to bang on her door.

"Star? You ok in there? You've been acting strange, recently. If you're sick I'm sure we could help you."

" _No!_ I mean, no I'm fine. Just, give me some time."

"Some time for what?"

" _I JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT OF TIME!"_

 _"Ok_ ok geez."

He didn't press any further after that.

* * *

 **Because ethics have only existed through the minds of intelligent beings can one genuinely say they're real?**

* * *

When Marco got back home from school she was still in her room. His parents were still at work so they didn't seem to realize Star's unusual behavior. He stopped in the hallway to look at her door for a minute before heading through his own with a sigh. On his bed, surrounded by a few more of those purple hearts, he saw a book. Not a small book by any state, no, this was one thick book. On the cover it read: _Mewberty, how to handle it and what to expect._

 _Oh no..._ he thought to himself

He picked up the book and started to flip through some of the more relevant chapters.

* * *

 _Chapter 2, The difference between genders_

 _Mewberty is very different when affecting both boys and girls alike, though in both cases it will start at the same age of between 12 and 15. While most females can end up stuck in a moth-like form if their needs are not satisfied males will often times go through more of an emotional change. The huge factor separating such a difference between the sexes is magic. Magic, as many know, almost always has a strong connection in women while it is nearly invisible in men. When going through Mewberty a man's already weak link to magic is practically severed making it completely useless._

* * *

Marco had to take a second and think about what he just read. Moth-like form? Surely that can't be literal. Maybe it's meant to be some kind of metaphor? And what needs would need to be satisfied? There had to be a reason this book was here waiting for him. Was Star going through mewberty? He shuddered at the thought.

After a bit more reading he came across this passage:

* * *

 _Excerpt from chapter 5: The female effects_ (Marco, you naughty boy.)

 _-While going through this period many young women will notice a change in their complexion. This comes in the form of flaking, discolored skin (usually purple but can be closer to blue or red) in the shape of their cheek-spot. It is also believed the symbols share some part of the development during mewberty. Those born with the sign of the club will tend to have a slightly heightened intelligence, most of these can be found in businesses, government, and teaching positions. Those born under the sign of the diamond will most likely_ _develop a stronger attachment to their common sense and logic and have a history with being the more thrifty types. These, too, will grow strong in certain governmental positions but can be seen at home with retail and law._ The section on those born under the sign of the spade had been scratched out. _Those born under the sign of the heart will grow into a large attachment with their emotions. Because of this they tend to be stronger with magic and art. Many of those touched by the heart have been seen to be very successful artists such as authors and painters. They can also be seen in the government with all other signs._

 _This is by no means proven by modern day science but is accepted through interpreted data collected by statisticians. Those touched by a specific sign are_ not __required nor guaranteed to exhibit these attributes.__

* * *

Marco made the connection between the flaking, discolored skin and Earth's acne. But Star's connection between her and her heart signs on her cheeks interested him the most. This would definitely account for Star's strange affinity for magic. It'd been a full 2 weeks since they had visited Father Time and since then Star had been practicing her magic like a madman... woman... a madwoman. She'd been only achieving more and more as Glossaryck taught her what he knew.

And the last few weeks hadn't just been about magic, either. Marco had actually come a lot closer to talking to Jackie like a civilized human being. Even almost asking her out!

* * *

 **Fading backwards time skip flashback~**

* * *

Marco had just closed his locker and turned around in time to see Jackie walk by. She waved to him with a sweet smile.

"Hey, Marco."

He waved and smiled back without peeing himself.

"Hey, Jackie."

* * *

 **Time fades back to before the skip. Or after. I don't know, time's complicated.**

* * *

That was one of his proudest moments. He really should thank Star for helping him out with Jackie, she's been such a huge help.

* * *

 **Another Flashy time back skip awesomeness... thing~**

* * *

"But what if I stutter again? I always stutter!"

"Pretend like you're talking to me, or Janna. You never have a problem talking to Janna. Why would Jackie be any different?"

"I told you, because she's... pretty! I don't know, I guess Janna's not necessarily ugly but come on, this is Jackie we're talking about."

"Then if she comes talk to you or vice versa just imagine you were talking to me. We talk to each other fine."

"You know, you're right. I'll give it a shot!"

"Great, now get over there and prove it!"

Star pushed Marco over towards Jackie who had currently been drinking at the water fountain.

Star stayed behind and watched to make sure he didn't embarrass himself too much.

Star was there to comfort him after he embarrassed himself too much.

"You'll do better next time. My dad always says there's no harm in trying."

* * *

 **Oooooo super flashy time skip forward**

* * *

Such a huge help.

He shook his head and got back into the reading. He was letting his mind wander again and he still didn't know what that whole 'moth-like form' was supposed to mean. After a quick curiosity skim through the next chapter, The male effects, he saw that mewberty was nearly parallel to that of Earth's puberty, save for the part where men lose their connection to magic. Broadened shoulders, hair... everywhere, and a few graphic pictures he didn't exactly enjoy looking at though it was nothing he hadn't already seen before in health class. Finally he turned to the part he was looking for:

* * *

 _Chapter 9: Transformations_

 _While men have the luxury of a meaningful yet dull merberty experience women deal with something that has puzzled top Mewman scientists since before the liberation of Mewni itself. The flaking skin that plagues the young woman will persist and only heighten until she is covered head to toe. At this point the child will cocoon herself in a case of the flaked skin that had been so prominent before. It forms a hard exterior that is virtually impossible to puncture. When the child reemerges (which will never take more than 2-3 hours) she will take on the form of what resembles a moth and a spider, spouting wings and 4 extra arms. These arms can shoot a string-like adhesive used to created webbing. When this transformation takes place the child will immediately seek out all individuals of the desired sex in the nearby vicinity and capture them, placing them in cages made from the previously mentioned adhesive. When all have been surveyed and a suitable 'mate' has been chosen the child will change back to normal with one crucial difference: small wings will have sprouted on their backs._

 _This is by no means to be contested. Restricting the child from engaging in this will cause the child to grow angry and restless. It can delay the transformation back for any amount of time._

* * *

Marco never ended up reading this last part. He stared off into the distance, still caught up on the whole 'capturing innocent people and throwing them in enclosures like a zoo' part. Is this why Star had said she just needed a bit of time? Maybe he should go check on her.

He stood up from his bed and made his way over to Star's bedroom door. One light tap with his knuckles showed that the door wasn't even closed. As is lightly swung open Marco got a glimpse at what was inside. There was a large, purple structure right in the middle of the room with vines stretching out in all directions. This must be that adhesive the book had talked about. Then he saw the best part: it was already open.

So was the window.

* * *

 **This is what we call a good time skip, but can there be a bad time skip? Who determines whether a time skip is good or bad?**

* * *

It had been a full 20 minutes before Marco found Star.

She wasn't in the mall, she wasn't at the stop and slurp, and she wasn't at the taco place they loved to go to on weekends.

Somehow she had made her way back to the school, the same one Marco had just left 45 minutes ago, without Marco even realizing it. It looked as though some graffiti artist had painted the school purple with small hearts. He could hear screaming from inside the school. This can't be good...

Then again, how many people could still be at the school? After all it had already let out, the only people left would be the students who had decided to stay after. Can't be that many, right?

Marco set his bike down near the entrance and drew a deep breath. He had no idea what he was getting into.

And what better way to deal with it than to dive in head first? He opened the door and stepped in.

* * *

 _ **OOOooOOOOoooooOOooOooOhhh cliff hangar! How will Marco possibly even begin to try and get Star back?**_

 _ **Also, I lied. There was, like, no Starco in this. I decided to cut this chapter in half to preserve the length I usually have (which tends to be no more than 2,750 words.) I know last chapter broke that... by a lot... but fuck you I do what I want you ain't no cop whatchu gon do arrest me? Also, dad jokes. I give you guys only the greatest quality writing. You can thank me later.**_

 _ ***Ahem* Hella Starco next chapter, sorry for holding out on you guys.**_


	12. Queen of Hearts

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Time to get it goin' on that hardcore Starco mewberty shit and whatnot. Hope you guys are ready to piss yourselves with excitement because I'd love to see the looks on your disappointed faces. Also,**_ **Can't Fight This Feeling _by_ REO Speedwagon. _The connection to this chapter is there and there's no denying it._**

 _ **Reviews!**_

 _ **Goldyxz: I didn't think anyone could fall in love with my sense of humor but hey, there's a first for everything. Thanks for laughing! And I feel ya, I really do.**_

 _ **Guest sorta: Don't do this to me, man. Don't tell me you've never played pokemon. What kind of childhood is devoid of pokemon!? AAAHHAioduhawiuPODGHIOAUFWIAHUd**_

 _ **SpaceDwarfKenBon: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Please, sir, I haven't seen my family in years. You haven't fed me in nearly a week. I just want to go home.**_

 _ **DERP FLERP (chapter 6): Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll see some adventure in the future if you haven't already.**_

 _ **ChelJosh (love the pfp): Oh thank you, your words mean a lot. My gender will be formally announced in the future (probably i dunno) but right now your guess is about as good as anyone else's. That hiatus is gonna make me cry but hey, if the show's gonna go through a hiatus then there's no reason for me to. And yeah, that's exactly what I was going for.**_

 _ **That went places it shouldn't have. Ah whatever, let's get into the story now!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Queen of Hearts**

It was a jungle in there. Those purple vines that surrounded Star's cocoon were everywhere now. He stepped in a small "puddle" of that adhesive stuff, looking down in disgust as if it had been a pile of dog feces. He had to leave his shoe behind. He wept over his loss for the next 5 minutes.

Every hall, every classroom, even the gym was covered in this purple papery goo. Locker doors were ripped off, classroom doors had been unhinged, and the openings left behind had been webbed over. There were people in every single one of these, all of them male, none able to escape. Even the windows had been webbed over. Every now and then Marco would pass by a makeshift cell and its occupants would grab out towards him begging him to free them. He brushed them away with fear in his eyes. Was this something they had to deal with regularly in Mewni?

Then he saw Star, flying overhead with another boy in her 6 arms. Marco's eyes widened as she dive-bombed for the school, heading down to the courtyard he was in. He ducked as she shot overhead, terror filling his ears as the boy in her arms screamed. He looked back at where they were going, it was only just down the hall that she threw the boy into an open locker. Marco still isn't sure why he didn't move in either direction, either run away or towards Star, but his feet were stuck in place. Star shot a look over at him.

"Boy."

Never had a word shot through Marco with such fear. She was almost unrecognizable, her skin and hair tinted purple, glowing white hearts where her eyes used to be, hair brought up into two large beehives on either side of her head, and two large wings protruding from her back. She stared into him as if she'd never seen him before. A wide, tooth smile crept onto her face.

"Star...?"

She dashed, flying just a foot above the ground. Marco managed to dive out of the way just in time and book it out of there.

"NotStarnotStarnotStarohgooooooood"

He ran down the hall, jumping out of the way of multiple other tackle attempts. Then he saw the trophy case, the perfect opportunity. He sped up towards the glass case. When Star made another attempt Marco stopped, turned around, and jumped. She flew right under him and into the case, shattering it, unable to react in time. Marco ran to a nearby closet that had yet to be opened yet. He ran in and locked the door, sighing in relief. He heard her shoot past, not stopping to check the closet.

He looked around the closet, seeing if there was anything important in it. The lack of lighting made it hard to see but he could make it out to be the janitorial closet. Not much of use accept a pretty big flashlight. He took it and put it in his hoodie pocket.

"Ok, Marco, ok. Let's assess the situation. Star's now some moth... spider... girl thing and is rampaging through the school. The book said she needed to find the suitable mate...? Oh! Oskar! She likes Oskar, maybe his car is still out in the parking lot!"

With a quick check outside the door to make sure Star wasn't still lurking nearby he dashed for the exit.

* * *

 **Time skips are very important. Very important, yes.**

* * *

There were no cars out in the parking lot, not even Oskar's. Did he leave or something? No, he lives in this parking lot, where would he have gone?

"Oskaaar?"

"S'up?" He was standing closer to the building, leaning up against the side with his key-tar. There was no music.

"Oskar, where's your car?"

"That thing took it. Got my good key-tars, too. This one fell out of the trunk but it doesn't have any batteries."

"She took your car? Woah..."

"Yeah, it was crazy. You know what that thing is?"

"It's Star. The exact details aren't necessary right now but I need you to come with me."

"Star? You mean that cute girl from geometry? Woah... yeah, ok, whatchu need me for?"

He grabbed Oskar's wrist and ran back into the building.

"Just come on."

Finding Star again wasn't too hard, after all they could still see her from the courtyard ever once in awhile. They found her making a new cell in one of the hallways and hid around the corner. Marco whispered to the other.

"Ok, Oskar, I need you to go out there and get Star's attention."

"A'ight sure. Oh, maybe I could use my key-tar. You got any batteries on you?"

"No, I don't- no wait!" He took the flashlight out of his pocket and removed the batteries, handing them to Oskar.

"Wicked." He replaced the batteries. With one last nod to Marco he turned to head out into the hallway. There was only one problem, Star had already found them. She levitated there staring at the two of them. Oskar's face fell.

"Ossskaaarr..."

He gulped, and played a note on his key-tar. Like lightning Star picked the boy up and flew into the courtyard, turning skyward. Marco ran out underneath them.

"OSKAR! USE THE KEY-TAR!"

Oskar loaded up a prerecorded drum pattern and started to play. Star didn't acknowledge it as she scanned the school for an open cell. Marco heard the music die away as she dropped Oskar into a cell with a thud. Marco looked on in disappointment and sighed.

If Oskar wasn't the one then who's she looking for? Maybe she just needed to have all the boys in the area... including him.

"Welp, this is gonna suck."

When Star returned to the skies Marco stood in the courtyard, ready for her. Best he just sacrificed himself now and get the old Star back soon. It's been a full two days since Star started to act different, meaning it's been two days since he'd seen the real Star. It was time to bring her back.

He held his arms out to his side as she spotted him. Recognizing his pose as that of a surrender she slowly buzzed down to him, face emotionless. Marco shut his eyes as she looked him up and down.

"Marcooooooo..."

She grabbed both of his arms and his hood, hoisting him up into the air. They flew up into the air and Marco looked down, feeling queasy. It definitely wasn't the most smooth ride. He was dropped into the same room Oskar was in, it was empty except for the two of them. Star sat down just outside the door on the waterfountain, watching the two of them. Marco and Oskar looked at each other. Oskar opened his mouth first.

"S'up?"

It was just the two of them being watched by Star, now. Marco had the feeling she must be deciding between the two of them. But... deciding on what? A suitable mate?

Realization struck Marco as his eyes widened. His thoughts were a jumbled mess.

 _Me? Why me, I thought we were just friends! Surely she knows I like Jackie right? ...Right? Do I? Of course I do, what am I thinking. I've been going after Jackie for years. Maybe she doesn't actually feel this way and it's just, like, the mewberty talking. I should be flattered that I'd make a good mate. Oh god, what am I thinking, I don't want that kind of commitment. But if I didn't why would I be going after Jackie? I guess Star's not that bad looki- no! You two live together, she's like a sister. Why am I even considering this?_

Star had gotten up by this point and taken down the webbing door. She approached Oskar first, looking him over. She extended a few hands over to him. One was placed on his left shoulder, one poked a finger on his chest, and one went to his forehead. Oskar was very clearly shaking, scared out of his mind. Star turned Oskar around, picked him up by the back of his shirt, and tossed him to the side.

 _Oh no..._

Star turned to face Marco. It was his turn to be evaluated. She did the same for him that she did with Oskar. The hand was placed on his left shoulder, he could feel a strike of warmth spread from his shoulder to the res of his body. It calmed him. Then the finger silenced his beating heart if only for a second. It was as if their hearts were linked, he could feel her own heart beating right next to his. Then the finger touched his forehead and it felt like an invisible tendril had poked into his brain, looking for something. Knowing this could be it he surrendered his thoughts. He just wanted this to end.

He wanted the normal Star back.

She pulled her hands away and smiled, her eyes brightening. They seemed to blind as Marco shielded his eyes. Two large beams of light shot up and enlarged to engulf everything he could see. As the light dimmed he rubbed his eyes.

The scene was back to normal. All the purple hearts were gone, the doors were back in place, and the only things that remained where it was were the people. Marco looked down at Star, who was now on her knees, head hung. He knelt down by her, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder. The second he did this Star grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. This took Marco by surprise but he returned it without thinking. Star whispered in his ear.

"I never thought it'd be you."

"That what would be me?"

Star didn't answer, they just hugged.

* * *

 **Hey look, it's a scene change that's trying to take the form of a time skip! Kill it!**

* * *

Glossaryck saw the flash of light from Star's bedroom window. He was on his mirror again. He was talking to Moon.

"It's happened, she chose someone."

"Well figure out who it was. Was she let loose on the public or was she placed in a more confined area?"

"She took over the school."

Moon sighed. "Alright, deal with those that saw but make sure the one she chose remembers. I don't want the local enforcements getting involved."

Glossaryck nodded and made another call on the mirror. "I need your help with something."

* * *

 _ **Not the best chapter I've written so far but hey, it wasn't that bad. I probably could have made it longer but nah.**_

 _ **Anyway, if you have an idea for a chapter let me know in the reviews. Or write a review on how I could make this story better. Or tell me I'm an idiot. I haven't seen any of those yet.**_


	13. Cosmic Decadence

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Sorry for the wait, everyone, but this "little guy" took me forever to write. It reached just over 6,000 words. Also: There's a pokemon battle going on inside the reviews... My money's on I'mChokingOnAnOlive.**_

 _ **Speaking of reviews~**_

 _ **ChelJosh: It could be the principal... but, then again, maybe it isn't...**_

 _ **Goldyxz: "Ideal" might be a bit of an under statement and I plan to solidify that with today's chapter. Or, maybe the next one if I want to break it up again. Thanks for your kind words, means so much to me. And, ya know, I was gonna have them kiss but them I'm like "yeah, let's not rush into that just yet..."**_

 _ **ZarroW: NO ACTUALLY I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT MOVIE YET**_

 _ **Anonymims: (chapter 10) I do update pretty fast but I'm not sure how long I can keep this up. Wibbly Wobbley Timey Wimey is not a good mental state to be in, my friend. Took me awhile to get those thoughts down on paper- webpage so it had better confuse you.  
(chapter 11) Oblivious Marco is Best Marco and no one can deny me this.  
(chapter 12) Being difficult and cliche is what Marco does best and everyone loves him for it. I know I sure do!**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: Making shit out of sticks and leaves is fun and all but seriously, you NEVER PLAYED POKEMON WHAT KIND OF DEMON CHILD ARE YOU!?  
Also, you sure you're done? Just like that? Last time you burst into flames...**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: Yeeees, worship my time skips! The more followers I have the stronger I become! *Hugs you back* Them pokemon mangas were some of the best reading material I had as a young child.**_

 ** _*pokemon battle music cues up* Ooooooh, damn!_**

 ** _Ok let's get into it!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Cosmic Decadence**

"You chose _WHO!?_ "

"Mom, calm down, it's only Marco. And besides, you know as well as I do that it was the mewberty talking. Not me."

"But wasn't there anyone else at school you had your eye on? Maybe someone you thought you'd pick?"

"Well there was Oskar..."

The Queen sighed in relief.

"Oh, wait, let me show you why I called you."

Star turned around and pulled her hair to the side exposing two small, light purple wings. They weren't even 6 inches away from her back.

The Queen squealed in delight.

"Ooooooooh, my little baby's got her wings! *ahem* I mean, look at you. You're growing into a beautiful young woman."

"Aw, thanks mom."

"Speaking of growing up, Glossaryck tells me your magic training is going really well."

"Oh yeah! I can fire a narwhal blast without even getting tired!"

"Glad to hear you're getting better because I think it's time you field tested it. I have a sort of mission for you to go on."

"You mean I get to go home!?" Star was bouncing with excitement.

"Well, no... actually I had something else in mind. Glossaryck also told us about what happened with Tom."

"Oh. Right. That..."

"Yes, well, as you know, if a prince of another kingdom, inter-dimensional or not, attacks a royal figure like that then it becomes a matter of national security. You _have_ been reading up on the doctrines, right?"

"Ummm yeah! Totally."

The Queen gave her a 'no you didn't' look. Star looked away.

"Ok, maaaaybe I forgot to read them... at all..."

"Yeah, I figured as much. But, not like it matters now. We need to know what Tom is up to, and I hate to do this, but I need you to spy on him. Make sure he isn't plotting anything huge against Mewni."

"And how do you expect me to do that?"

"You don't know what tonight is, do you?"

"His... father's birthday? No? Maybe his mother's birthday. No? Is it a birthday at all?"

"No. Actually this is more of a once-in-a-lifetime thing for you. After all the Blood Moon Ball only happens every 667 years."

At this point Star was the one squealing with joy.

"Oh my gosh, I forgot that was tomorrow night!"

"Yes, and I need you to go to it incognito. If Tom knows that you're there he may try to drag you into something you don't want or even worse."

"So what am I supposed to do, though?"

"Just get some information of Tom. See what everyone down there knows about him and try to stay away from him. He may recognize you."

"Well, what if I just use a radiant shadow transform?"

"That should work but he's still a demon. It'll keep you safe from a distance but who knows if he'll see through your disguise if you get up close."

"Wait, but why can't you just send some of the royal guard? He wouldn't recognize them."

"Oh, you know I would but they're all busy at the moment. We need security tight right now."

Just then a guard, dressed in armor only above the waste and holding a newspaper, walked out of the room behind The Queen whistling. The Queen turned around with malice in hers eyes and shot daggers at him.

" _What are you doing in there that is the royal lavatory you don't have the clearance to go in such a room!"_

The guard, one Star recognized, booked it out of there as if his life depended on it. Because it probably did.

"Yeah, tight security there."

"Just get on the mission. I'll send a carriage to pick you up and take you down tomorrow night at 6 exactly. Be ready by then."

"Ok, fine. Whatever. Love you mom."

"Love you, too, Star. And I think it might be good to bring Marco along. I hear he's a good fighter."

"Ok, yeah, fine! Bye Mom!"

Star hung up the mirror before her mother could respond. Marco stood in the doorway to Star's room. Though Marco knew evesdropping was wrong she hadn't realized him yet and he just couldn't walk away. He was leaning up against the door.

"Blood moon ball, huh? Sounds like fun."

"Oh yeah, I don't know, maybe." She turned to face Marco. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Like, all of it. I think your Mom likes me."

Star looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

"You... wanna talk about it?"

"No, Marco, I'm not sure I do."

He could hear the uncertainty in her voice. He knew she was confused by everything that happened the day before, it was like she could barely even look him in the eyes anymore. What Star didn't see was that Marco was even more confused than her. All his life Marco had liked Jackie. He's fantasized about their first date, their wedding, their children but it was like all of that just flew out the window after Star's little escapade. He didn't even know how he felt about Jackie anymore, let alone Star.

 _I mean, Star is cute and all... but so is Jackie!_

Did he just call Star cute? He shook the thought out of his head.

"My mom wants me to bring you to the ball with me."

"Yeah, I heard."

"Soooo you wanna... go to the Blood Moon Ball? I hear it's a pretty good time and it only happens once every, like, 7 or 8 mewman lifetimes. No big deal."

"I... I don't know, Star. I'm gonna need some time to think about it, if that's cool with you. I'm still trying to get my thoughts about all this in order."

"Alright, take your time. But I need to know by tomorrow afternoon."

"Of course, yeah." He turned and left her room.

* * *

 **A rather long time skip representing Marco's time to think about it.**

* * *

Her mother had sent her a dress.

Star looked at the light-red and pink dress. It didn't look all that long but she liked it all the same. After all, it complimented her well-toned legs. It wrapped up her left shoulder, held together by a light pink heart, a large bow look up the entire midsection. White gloves extended to halfway between her shoulders and elbows. White boots went up to her knees.

She had also been given a suit for Marco which she left on his bed. Marco had refused to bring up the blood moon ball whatsoever since the proposal had initially been made. She hoped he would come, she didn't want to end up doing this alone. Marco had already gotten her out of so many situations since she's moved to Earth, why should this be any different?

Marco held the suit up off bed. The ball was in the underworld, right? If he glued some tassels to the shoulders and some gold trim to the low-cut top then maybe he could wear a sombrero and a mask he always wore on _el_ _dia de los muertos._ The decorations were already being brought out, it wouldn't be hard to find. Then Marco remember why he originally picked up the suit. Should he give it back to Star?

Just then there was a knock at his bedroom door. "Come in."

Star peeked her head in. Her hair was up in a large bun with small strands hanging down in the front on either side.

"You make your decision yet? It'd be really awesome if you came."

"Yeah, I did. I guess I will."

"Well, hurry up and get dressed! The ride'll be here in, like, 10 minutes!"

"Actually I may be going down there after you. I want to make a few adjustments to the suit first. Just tell the driver to come back up for me."

Star had to think this over for a second. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Well, think about it. If this is a covert mission why would we want to be seen together? If one of us is caught people might think something's up with the other."

"That makes sense. Ok, I guess that'll work." She made her way into his room entirely and walked up to Marco. She pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks for making up your mind."

Marco was a bit uneasy about hugs after the mewberty incident but returned the hug anyway.

"This isn't a date, though. Remember that."

"Yeah yeah, of course." Star let go and went back for the door. "If anything happens or if the ball ends just meet me back by the ride."

Marco nodded and she left him alone again. When Star made it back to her room the ride had just made it to her window. It was a black box with golden gargoyles on either side. It was pulled by a demon in what looked like medieval stocks. She hopped in and the doors began to close.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot! Radiant shad-!" The door had shut before her spell finished.

Meanwhile, Marco had already started to change up the suit he had been given.

* * *

 **I say a time skip would look very nice here. What do you think? Yes? Ok, it shall go here.**

* * *

Marco stood by Star's bedroom window waiting for the black box to come pick him up as well. He had a large red sombrero which sat atop his masked head, his suit altered just the way he wanted. His mind started to wander again as he waited there. Did Star really like him? Was this all one big tease? No, of course not, why would she try to trick him like that? That's just stupid, Star wasn't like that. Star was sweet. And playful. And energetic, to a fault at times. Star was no liar. Then there was Jackie. Jackie was... a good skater? What _did_ he know about Jackie? He realized they'd never actually talked to each other, he didn't know anything first hand.

Maybe that was it, maybe he needed to try and make her a friend first before he went after her as a girlfriend. But that was a gamble in and of itself. Gambling with the friend zone was nothing a real man ever wanted to do.

He had looked away not even a second when he noticed his ride was there.

* * *

At the same time Star had just walked into the banquet hall. It smelled of fire and brimstone, something standard for the underworld, yet it didn't look all that bad. The walls were lined with fire and instead of an ice sculpture or a fountain there was a fire statue. She wasn't sure how they managed it but the fire seemed to stay clung to a rough form yet still stayed animated. Weird...

"Yeah, I hear people from all the great kingdoms are here."

Star looked over at where the voice was coming from. It was someone she'd never seen before speaking to who she assumed was his date. Or maybe his wife?

"King Vernon and Queen Arbor are here, I think Prince Malrik brought that one princess he's had his eye on for awhile, even Emperor Bulo showed up."

"Did he really? That's not like him. Shame no one's coming to represent Mewni, though. I heard the princess there is pretty good looking."

"You mean Star Butterfly? She's alright but I think you're even cuter."

The two of them walked off holding each other's hands. Star chuckled.

Her hair was now stark black yet in the same style as before. Her complexion shown a lot darker and she looked a few inches taller. Her facial features didn't change at all, however. She made her way across the floor, ready to get to work. It might be best to just stay away and listen until someone came up to her. But how would she bring that up? 'Oh, hey, I know you were probably coming over to talk to me about something relevant but I was wondering, how evil is Prince Tom?' Nah, that would scare anyone away. She hopes Marco has a better plan of action then her. She stopped by the refreshments table, which was a good 50 feet long, and grabbed a cup full of some kind of wine.

* * *

Marco stepped into the banquet hall and looked around. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. A huge chandelier hung from the top of what looked like a stupidly tall cave. Everything had some kind of red or brown tint to it. The constant fire made his eyes burn. And everyone inside looked way too fancy.

 _I guess this is the famed 'Blood Moon Ball'._

Before he could even remember what he was down here to do someone tapped him on the shoulder. Marco stared in shock when he looked to see who it was.

She was beautiful. Definitely not human, but beautiful all the same. She was just a little bit taller than him, wore a sea foam green dress, and smiled with the most innocence he had ever seen on a living being's face. Words just couldn't describe why she was so pretty but Marco decided it was best not to question it. She opened her mouth to talk.

"Hey, do I know you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Ubaldo, right?"

That was his grandfather's name. Had she met his grandfather before? Was his grandfather in the underworld?

"Uh, yeah. That's me. Ubaldo Diaz. Can't say I recognize you, though. And believe me, I would. How could I forget someone as beautiful as you?"

Where was all this confidence coming from, all of the sudden? He had even lowered his voice unintentionally. Best he just stick with it.

The woman chuckled. "The name's Celeste."

"Celeste? Pretty name."

He held out his hand for a hand shake. Celeste looked at it confused.

"What are you doing with your hand?"

"Huh? Oh, whoops! Earth culture." He drew his hand back. "It's how we greet people."

She gasped. "You're from Earth? Oh, I've always wanted to go there. I hear there's these things called 'trees' and people worship them, like, all the time."

He laughed slightly at this. "Worship? Oh no. No no no, that's absurd. There's a lot of trees but we certainly don't treat them like a god."

"Ha, I was afraid Earth men were still rather primitive. Then again, here you are. How primitive could you be if you've discovered dimensional travel, right?"

Marco decided it was best not to comment on the validity of that statement. He wasn't here to recap all of Earth's culture, just to get information on Tom. But there was something bothering him.

"Say, how did you know my name? It's not like we met before."

"I've seen your face somewhere. That skeletal look is unmistakable. I can't remember where, though. It was definitely on a bulletin somewhere back home. Oh, before we continue, let's move this conversation to the refreshments table. I've been _dying_ to try some of the famous wine they have down here."

* * *

Star walked across the floor again, taking in bits of conversation as she went. Everyone was talking about their life back home, or the battles they won as a general, or royalty they were to be married to in months to come. None of it particularly interested Star. She was never big on politics and politicians boasting their achievements. Then again, what 14 year old would be? Finally she heard the name Prince Tom tossed around and stopped. She didn't want to look like she was just standing there listening to people so she needed an excuse.

With a short tip of her cup she spilled the tiniest bit of wine on her dress.

 _Sorry, mom, I really did like it._

She put the cup down on the ground and took out a handkerchief, acting like she was trying to get out the stain.

"Yeah, I heard Prince Tom almost got in trouble the other day."

"Trouble? What did he do?"

" _I_ heard that he attacked another princess with monsters trying to get her to marry him."

"Oh, man, now that just isn't right. You think he'll be here tonight?"

"Of course he will be, he's hosting this damned ball. Wonder if this rumor got to him. Maybe he's all messed up because of it."

"I don't think it's a rumor. To be honest it _does_ sound like something he would do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You wanna know the best part? The girl he was going after: they used to date."

"Wait, you mean the princess from Mewni? Looks like he hasn't gotten over the breakup."

Before the conversation could end a voice behind her made Star jump. It was the last voice she wanted to hear tonight.

"You need some help with that stain, there, miss?"

* * *

Marco and Celeste laughed over by the refreshments table. They had been talking for a full 20 minutes now about one of Celeste's brothers.

"And then- and then he *hiccup* he takes the stick and you know what he says?"

Marco is overcome with laughter. "What did he say?"

"'I'll stick this right up where the sun don't shine if you think you can talk to me that way!'"

They both lost connections to their sides that day. Marco was having a hard time catching his breath, not only from the joke, but for the fact that he was in this situation at all. Marco ended up losing his sense of reality when the realization that he was standing in an old-as-time ballroom, attending a highly exclusive ball, talking to the most beautiful 'woman' he had ever seen, and she was talking back dawned on him. It left him nearly speechless.

"So, Ubaldo." She eyed him with drunken interest. "What brings you to the underworld anyway?"

Marco replied in his own drunk voice. "Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"No, no, I bet I would. Come on, tell me!"

"Okokok *hiccup* so I've been authorized by the Queen of Mewni herself to come and investigate Tom."

"Wooaaah you mean like a spy?"

"Exactly! I came here with my friend, too. You know who that is?"

"Oh, oh, uhhh, let me guess... the King?"

"Close but no." He lowers his voice to a whisper, motioning for Celeste to do the same. "Actually I'm here with the princess, Star. Don't tell anyone but we're investigating Tom to see if he has any bad intentions towards Mewni."

Celeste had to cover her mouth with her hands to muffle her gasp. "No. Way. You know the princess? That's amazing!"

Marco had no idea what he was doing. He just broke the first rule of doing _anything_ incognito: don't tell anyone you're incognito. For all he knew, Celeste could be one of Tom's spies making sure no one was here to spy on him. Marco could have just jeopardized the whole mission. Or maybe Celeste was actually just another drunk noblewoman.

* * *

Tom helped Star to her feet, looking down at the stain.

"Oooh, yeah, that's a pretty bad one. If you want I have a little something that can fix that right up."

Star found it increasingly hard to get any words out. She just stood there staring at the demon hoping he wouldn't recognize her.

"Intimidated by me, huh? That's understandable. Not every woman here gets to talk to the host of the ball. What's your name?"

Name? Oh no, she didn't have a fake name prepared. What should it be? Maybe the name of a flower? Oh! Chrysanthemum. No, too noticeable. Maybe if she used her aunt's name? No, that might give her away through family lineage. But what if-

*Snap* "Hey, uh, you ok there?" Tom snapped his fingers in front of her face. "You black out or something?"

Star shook her head and flashed a shy smile. "Yeah, sorry, guess I've had too much to drink. My name's Jackie. Jackie Lynn Thomas." She did a little curtsy.

"Ah, yeah, that's much better. So, want me to get that stain out or not?"

"No, no, I think I'm fine." Star tried to avoid Tom's eyes, afraid of what her mother said to him. It would be wise for her to find a way to get out of this situation and walk away but then again, wouldn't it be good to get information straight from the source? "Actually, you can give me something."

"Woah woah, if you're implying what I think you're implying don't bother. My heart's taken."

"What? No, don't be stupid. I've just wanted to know if some rumors I've heard are true."

Tom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh not this again."

"Yeah, sorry, but I just want answers. Did you actually attack the princess of Mewni?" Of course she already knew the answer to this.

"No, I didn't. Actually she attacked me first. I only used an energy shield. "

"But why would she attack you at all?"

"A bad past, I would say."

Star raised her eyebrow, not liking this answer.

"Ok, fine, I was given an offer that if I helped this little monster out he would help me win over Star. I thought it was a pretty good idea, after all I still really like her but... I don't think she'll ever give me those feelings back. Even if I _do_ change."

Tom looked down on her with a curious look, as if he was talking directly to Star with the purpose of communicating with someone else. Did he know? Had he seen through her disguise? He kneeled down and looked her dead in the eye.

"And I have changed. I just hope she realizes that eventually."

He knows. Oh god, he knows. Time to make an exit. She started to stammer out an excuse.

"Heh, heheh, well I wish you luck with that, ha. Yeah, that's too bad she doesn't like you back, maybe she'll learn some day and all that."

As she said this she slowly backed away and into the crowd. Tom didn't follow.

Star found a pillar to lean against while she let out a huge breath. He knows they're there, the mission might be compromised. Wait, no. He know's that _Star's_ there, but not Marco. If she just stays out of his view it should be fine. Speaking of which, where was Marco?

* * *

"Yeah, me and the princess, we're pretty close. She lives with me and my family."

"Aw, are you two married? Shame."

"What? Ohnononono, it's not like that. Her parents sent her to live with us to learn how to be less... destructive, I think. I'm not sure, I was never given the full details."

"Well, aren't you lucky. Living with someone as pretty as Star Butterfly."

"And even more lucky to be here talking to you."

That was the ticket. That got Celeste to look away and smile embarrassed. "Oh, you little charmer."

Before anything more could be said between the two the fire that lined the walls started to dim. It extinguished all together along with the chandelier leaving the only source of light as the fire statue. Music started to play in the background. A waltz, slow and beautiful. Marco looked up at Celeste's eyes. This was the part where he asked her for a dance. He held out a hand to her, palm up.

"Care to dance, m'lady?"

She giggled and took his hand lightly. "Gladly."

As they left the refreshments table for the first time in nearly an hour the floor opened up to them, beckoning them to dance upon it. Marco's lessons were finally about to pay off. They twilred around the room, one of his hands on her waste, one of her hands of his shoulder. Their free hands were brought together. Step after step they spun with other couples. Everything seemed right about this. This exact spot was where he needed to be at this exact moment. He could feel it.

* * *

The music had started as she leaned against the pillar. Something inside of her broke as she knew what was about to happen. It was the reason she wanted to bring Marco in the first place.

Nearly everyone standing on the floor partnered up and began to dance. Star was left partner-less and yet, deep down, she knew that this was where she was meant to be at that exact moment. She stepped away from the pillar and into the crowd.

* * *

As Marco danced with Celeste they wandered just a little too close to another couple. Marco tripped on the man's ankle and was brought away from his dance through his own clumsiness. He stumbled backwards into the crowd trying desperately to keep his balance. Celeste had held out her hand to try and catch him but missed.

Another woman grabbed him and he spun around. The woman had stark black hair up in a large bun with two short strands hanging down in front of her face on either side. She had a light-red and pink dress decorated in hearts. He knew exactly who it was. Everything froze, nobody moved except to let go of their partners, and above all else, Tom was seen above the crowd. Watching. A beam of red light broke through a small circular skylight at the top. The chandelier was missing. The red light shown down and bathed the two.

Star looked at the man and just barely recognized the suit. This was it, this was the moment she knew she would be led to.

They danced. They danced as if it were the last time they would ever hold each other again. Tom narrowed his eyes. Who was the man in the skeleton mask dancing with Star?

"Marco" she whispered "Do you know what this is?"

"No." He whispered back. "What's going on?"

"We're dancing in the light of the blood moon. This is one of the most special moments two people can share."

"Then let's make it last."

They danced for what felt like hours yet it had only been a few minutes when Tom came back to the ground. He walked calmly through the crowd. Muffled whispers were heard following his path. He broke into the clearing that had been made for the two and went right up to Marco, grabbing his shoulders, and throwing him to the side.

The red light faded away.

"You think you can just show up to _my_ ball and dance with _my_ ex-girlfriend?" His 3 eyes started to glow with hatred.

"Tom!" Star shoved him. "What do you think you're doing!? I told you, we're over! You have no possession over me, you idiot!"

Tom ignored her words and shove and kept walking towards Marco. His hands lit up in fire.

"I'm going to enjoy this."

Marco's thoughts raced for a way out. Then, he remembered something Celeste had said to him:

* * *

 **Backwards Time skip flashback of awesomeness!**

* * *

They were standing by the table again. Celeste looked up at the ceiling.

"What I wouldn't give for a bit of action right about now."

"What? Why? I thought this was a ball not an arena."

"Well yeah, by tradition everyone here's supposed to act all fancy and civilized. But the truth is most of the people here come from some kind of culture where their lives are governed and dictated by thoughtless violence. It's just how most of these monarchies have worked for centuries. Nearly everyone here, me included, would _love_ to see a bit of action tonight."

"Well, Celeste, who knows. You might just get your wish."

* * *

 **This is where time skips back to the present situation.**

* * *

Marco smiled and stood up. He looked Tom dead in the eyes through his mask.

"I'm gonna enjoy this, too. BALLROOM BLIIIITZ!"

Marco turned and socked a random man in the jaw. The man stumbled into another man. They looked at each other for only a second before the music, which had stopped after the light dispersed, changed to a much more up beat tune. Someone got on the mic.

" _OOOOH YEEEAAAH IT WAS LIKE LIGHTNING"_

A full outburst erupted. Men threw punches at other men. Woman clawed at anyone that was near them. Couples fought off other couples. It was a total madhouse.

" _EVERYBODY WAS FIGHTING"_

Marco could see Celeste in the crowd. She had drawn a dagger from her boot and was currently stabbing a man in the jugular. They waved to each other with a smile.

" _AND THE MUSIC WAS SOOTHING"_

Star finally managed to find Marco through the chaos that was happening on the dance floor. She grabbed his wrist and ran.

"C'mon!"

 _"EVERYBODY WAS GROOVING YEEEAAAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH"_

"Wait, I need to say goodbye to someone first."

Marco broke away and ran over to Celeste, roundhouse kicking a man that was about to grab her from behind. They faced each other as they continued to fight.

"I didn't know you could fight!"

"I could say the same about you!"

" _AND THE MAN IN THE BACK SAID EVERYONE ATTACK AND IT TURNED INTO A BALLROOM BLITZ"_

Celeste looked at him with concern. She had seen him dance with Star.

"Was that her you were dancing with?"

"Yeah, that was Star."

Celeste smiled at him. "Hey, she's a nice catch. Good on you, man."

" _AND THE GIRL IN THE CORNER SAID BOY I BETTER WARN YA IT'LL TURN INTO A BALLROOM BLITZ"_

"Will I ever get to see you again?"

 _"BALLROOM BLITZ"_

"Who knows. My dimension isn't exactly keen on things it doesn't understand."

 _"BALLROOM BLITZ"_

"What dimension were you from again?"

 _"BALLROOM BLITZ"_

"Earth. If you ever go there just ask for Marco Diaz."

 _"BALLROOM BLITZ"_

He ran off after sweeping the legs of a man that had run at them.

"Knew it..."

Marco met back up with Star and they kept running towards the exit. The music died behind them.

"Who was that?"

"Just someone I met. She thought I was my grandfather."

The small ping of jealousy that Star felt had melted away.

They made it back to the black box that took them down to the underworld and pried the doors open. They could just see Tom running towards them as they ascended upwards. They got the information they wanted.

* * *

 **One more time skip to satisfy all your cravings.**

* * *

A quick call to the Queen resulted in quite a bit of yelling on her part. She didn't like the fact that they had to resort to a full on brawl just to get out. It wasn't all bad, though. Star had told her mother that Tom wasn't actually planning anything against the state, he was just trying to get back with her. Though they all understood how creepy that was Moon let out a sigh of relief. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Even though the night was really starting to engulf Echo Creek Star and Marco were far from asleep. Star finally decided she was willing to talk about her feelings with Marco. They sat down on her bed and looked each other in the eyes.

"I don't know how it happened, Marco. I swear I had no idea I had these feelings for you before mewberty hit. But knowing about you and Jackie I just... I can't see past it now."

"Star, it's alright. I promise." He placed his hand over top of hers. "After tonight I'm not sure how much I like Jackie anymore."

"Marco you have no idea how much that means to me. I could barely get the thoughts of you and Jackie out of my head tonight and I just... I... I don't know. I saw you run back to say goodbye to that woman earlier and..."

"You mean Celeste? Well yeah, I had to say goodbye to her. That was the first time I had talked to someone I had a crush on like a normal person."

Star's face fell into a slight bit of sadness.

"But it's ok. She was way too old for me anyway. She was easily, like, 25. I'm only 14, I need to find someone my own age."

Star looked back up at him. "I think I can help you with that."

"Star, I'm still not sure-"

She cut him off with a hug. They leaned into each other, embracing the warmth either person's body gave off with affection. Star savored every single moment, every single second, she spent embracing her best friend.

At that time, they were right where they were supposed to be. They say you get placed in a time when you're born and you're given the free will to do whatever you want during that time. Nothing can determine what you do ecxept for you.

Father Time watched them through one of the monitors. "But sometimes, Time can give you a little shove in the right direction."

* * *

 _ **Hoooooly shit that was long. Again, sorry for the wait on this, I just wanted it to all come in the same chapter. It wouldn't have been the same broken up. Hope you enjoyed the Starco because I know I sure did. When I started this story I wanted it to be purely based on that premise of reality but I couldn't help not rushing the Starco. It has to be done, I don't care. I should probably also say that the whole thing with Marco's grandfather being called Ubaldo I totally stole from another fanfic because fuck you. It's canon that it's his middle name, though.**_

 _ **And yes, ballroom blitz was necessary. Absolutely necessary.**_

 ** _Quick reminder that I'm always open to suggestions._**

 ** _Always._**


	14. The Grand Illusion

**_Ok, ya dicknuts. If you don't think the story's gotten serious yet then this is where it gets serious. Marco's serious, you're serious, Ludo's serious, that hot dog guy from before's serious. The only person not serious right now is me. Clearly._**

 ** _Ok, let's get to them reviews~_**

 ** _Goldyxz: I guess they were just meant to be together. If the universe is pushing them into a relationship then who are we to fight it?_**

 ** _Guest sorta: Wow, you're brother must be a dick. But now that you're not being forced to do anything you should totally try it out. It's fun, I promise. Wait, hold on. Lemme get the fire extinguisher._**

 ** _I considered it quite a few times, actually, but I just couldn't do it without changing the plot drastically. And Ubaldo will pop up again eventually. Promise._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Honestly, it was more based on how Father Time explained how time worked a few chapters ago which, in turn, was based on my own beliefs on how time works which, again, was influenced by Kurt Vonnegut just a little._**

 ** _I'mChokingOnAnOlive: Pokemon is always needed. Thank you._**

 ** _DonDonatek: It was a fanfic called Starfall and finished back in september. Also thanks for such kind words, I mean, I don't think it's_ legendary _but it's definitely good._**

 ** _Ok let's get right into it. Btw, the title for today's chapter is actually the title of a very great song by Styx. Check it out if you care._**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **The Grand Illusion.**

Some people say that the world was created in seven days by a god that watches over all. Others like to believe that the titans created Earth. There are even people that believed that the earth was a sister bending over her brother in protection. Then there's people who believe it was created by a bang.

A _big_ bang, if you will. Or maybe even an explosion.

This explosion supposedly came from a tiny particle with all the matter in the universe condensed into one little point in space. When it exploded it sent all that matter flying in all directions. This matter gathered up into planets, solar systems, and eventually galaxies. The world we live in began from a single explosion.

This could be used as a metaphor for Star and Marco's current situation.

* * *

Star sat on the edge of her bed and yawned. What a beautiful day it was outside. The sun was shining bright, the silence in the chilly December from the lack of birds invoked relaxation, and the morning frost on the Diaz's front lawn reminded her of winters back home. She hopped off her bed and made her way down stairs with a fit of early-morning excitement. This had become standard with Star.

As Star sat down at the kitchen table she saw Mrs. Diaz, back turned to her, at the stove cooking what smelled like bacon. Star loved bacon, it was one of the many things she loved about Earth. Mr. Diaz sat on the living room couch with a newspaper in front of his face. Neither of them said a word. There was already a plate set on the table in front of Star, another one set in front of a vacant seat. That one must be for Marco, who seems to have yet to wake up himself. Star started to devour the bacon and eggs. A laser puppy, who was rather large now, nudged her leg begging for food. Without looking she held a small piece of bacon down under the table for the dog. It pawed the food out of her hand instead of just eating it.

This dog, which Marco affectionately named Cyclops, was the last of the laser puppies in the care of the Diaz's. Due to the size these dogs grew to they just couldn't take care of 8 of them. Before giving away the other 7 to loving families they had Star magic away their laser eyes. No one needed to be hurt or worse: sued. Cyclops still had his laser eyes, though, and still loves to follow Marco around the house.

After finishing her breakfast Star shot up from her seat, rattled off a quick 'thank you' to her mom away from home, and ran upstairs to get dressed. She didn't see that Mrs. Diaz didn't even move, let alone acknowledge the note of appreciation. She stopped at Marco's door.

 _'_ _Should I wake him up...? Yeah, don't want him to oversleep.'_

Star knocked on his door. "Marco? You awake in there?"

No answer.

"Ok, sleeping beauty, I'm coming in."

She opened his door and stepped inside. The light was still off and Marco was still curled up under the blankets on his bed. She leaned over her friend, a smile curled on her face. She got down real close before yelling.

"HEY MARCO IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!"

He didn't move. Odd, Marco's usually a really light sleeper. Well if he wants to miss the bus then so be it. It's not Star's fault if he happens to get another detention for being late.

 _'Even if the first time_ was _my fault.'_

* * *

 **Time skips really are fascinating, are they not? Look! There's a wild one now!**

* * *

Star stood in front of the house waiting for the bus to show up. Marco was still in bed asleep. This really wasn't like him at all. Star had attempted to wake him up again before leaving, to no avail. Her mind jumped, as it always tends to do, to a new topic. The thought of Marco got her thinking about their relationship as best friends lately.

Ever since the Ball and mewberty incidents Star has been getting a little more brave with Marco. She's been seeking out his hugs more often, getting distracted by him in class, and even asked him out once or twice. Of course, he said no both times, but it's not like rejection was going to keep Star Butterfly down. She remembered the second time like it was yesterday...

* * *

 **Time rewind to the day before:**

* * *

Star and Marco sat in his room doing homework when Star decided to break a long running silence between the two.

"Hey, you wanna go out sometime? Maybe go get dinner? I know you said no last time but come on, it's no secret we were made for each other."

Star's mind quickly corrected itself, remembering what she really said:

"Hey, Marco, I'd really like it if, and you don't have to if you don't want to but it'd really mean a lot to me, if you would, y'know, maybe go on..." her voice trailed off into a whisper as she struggled to get the last part out.

Marco sighed. "Star, I told you last time, you're a great girl but I'm still not sure if I want to do this yet. We're 14, how can we handle a commitment like a relationship if you can't even learn basic algebra?"

"Hey! I told you, this maths stuff is hard!"

"Either way, I'm kinda confused on what exactly I want. And I'm _still_ very confused on how you expect me to say yes just because you chose me during mewberty or whatever."

"Ugh, fine. Be that way."

* * *

 **Back to present day:**

* * *

 _'Marco Diaz, mark my words... thoughts: One of these days, you_ will _be mine.'_

Star could see the bus coming down the street now. She shook her head and refocused of the world around her. AS the bus approached it didn't look like it was slowing down. Was the normal bus driver absent or something? He wasn't going to pass her was he?

The bus never stopped and just kept driving forward. Star sighed.

 _'Looks like I'm walking. I wish Marco would just wake up, maybe we could take his bike.'_

She turned down the sidewalk and began walking towards the school.

* * *

 **Here's a normal time skip. I swear it is very normal.**

* * *

By the time Star made it to school the bell had already rang. At least she thought it did since she didn't hear it ring. The halls were all empty, too. Definitely late to class. Miss. Skullnick was going to be furious. Heck, principal Skeeves was probably going to get made. This was her 4th time being late all year.

She finally made it to her classroom and opened the door. It took a second to realize but after she saw it her backpack dropped to the floor alongside her jaw.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Star. That is, they would if they had eyes. Or a face at all. They all just had a smooth front to their head.

She screamed and ran out of the building.

* * *

Two hospital beds where wheeled through a set of double doors and down the hall by a couple of doctors. They were talking to each other frantically.

"What happened with these two?"

"House explosion. They were on the top floor, can't believe they survived."

"Anyone know the cause?"

"Neighbors say it was probably a gas leak."

"Anyone else found in the wreckage?"

"There was a dog out front, thankfully still alive. Was probably outside when it happened."

"Take them to surgery room 4. I'll go find Dr. Harland."

* * *

Star was running down the street when she saw more faceless people. How had she not realized this yet? Was she really that oblivious? She ran into the house with fear plastered in her eyes. She saw Mr. and Mrs. Diaz now, also faceless. Athena was napping in front of the couch. Even _s_ _he_ had no face. This was getting out of control. Marco still had his face, she saw it earlier. She needed to find a way to wake him up.

She burst into his room, the door smacking against the wall on the other side. Marco still laid in the same position she had left him in. She grabbed him by the collar of his undershirt and pulled him into a sitting position.

"MARCO YOU NEED TO WAKE UP NOW!"

She slapped him across the face. Still no reaction. She started to cry out of pure terror.

"Marco please! I don't know what's going on right now!"

She shook him vigorously and he still didn't move. She wrapped her arms around his unconscious body, finally accepting defeat. Her crying wasn't profuse but it was enough to see she was losing hope.

"Please. I'm scared."

* * *

Alfonso and Ferguson sat in the lunch room talking to Janna. Their table was missing two members. Ferguson was proposing something.

"We should visit them today. I heard the surgery was a success."

"Yeah, maybe they've even woken up."

"Al, you know the doctor said they weren't going to regain consciousness for awhile."

"I can dream, can't I?"

"Wanna go right after school? We probably won't be that long."

"Yeah, I'm good for that. What about you, Janna?"

Janna didn't answer. She was lost in thought, staring at her lunch as she poked it and moved it around with her fork.

"Janna? You alright there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Have you ever thought that this is really the first interesting thing to happen to this town in a _very_ long time. I don't know, it's just kinda hard to except that someone's house blew up at all. I kinda feel that maybe it wasn't an accident. I dunno, I just have this gut feeling, y'know?"

"Oh, you'll get over it. Besides, the doctor said they should make a recovery in a good few weeks."

"Yeah, that does make me feel a little better."

Jackie walked up to the table having overheard a bit of the conversation.

"Hey guys, whatcha talkin' about?"

Ferguson looked over at her, surprised that someone as cool as Jackie was willingly talking to them.

"We're just making plans to go visit Star and Marco after school."

"Really? Why? Is it some special event?"

"Uh, no. They're... in the hospital."

"What? Oh my gosh, what happened?"

"You didn't hear?" Janna turned around to look at her. "Their house exploded."

* * *

Star was carrying Marco down the street, fireman style. She needed to find a place where there wasn't any of these weird faceless people. She had dressed Marco in his red hoodie but didn't bother changing his pants.

They had been walking for two days now.

When Star checked the police station she had to leave immediately. All the people there were faceless. So was everyone in their friends' houses. And at the stop and slurp. And at the Mall. Everywhere Star dragged Marco there were faceless people. Not even the mirror on her wall worked. When she called her parents they had no face as well.

Star decided it was only best that they just stay at the house. These people seemed harmless so staying at home shouldn't be dangerous.

She stopped to rest on their front lawn, placing Marco down on the grass. Two days. Two whole days Marco had refused to wake up. Maybe he wasn't going to. The thought filled Star with dread. She needed Marco more than ever now. She just didn't know what to do. She asked herself a few of the questions that had been running through her mind since she found out about the faceless people.

Where were they? Was this place even real? What, or who, brought them there? Why wasn't Marco waking up? He was definitely alive, she could feel his breath on her hand. How were they going to get out of this?

Were they ever going to get home again?

* * *

Ludo sat in a bush across the street as he watched the wreckage being searched by firemen. Star and Marco's bodies were the only ones found after it turned into a ball of fire, save for the dog that had been sleeping out front. The people searching the house had already pulled out a few things that had survived: a small fire proof box, a toilet that was surprisingly still in one piece, a mirror inscribed in an ornate rhombus. That must have been the mirror she used to contact home.

"I swear, if that wand doesn't show up show up soon I'll eat this skull."

He held onto the skull that was usually topping his head. He refused to leave the bush until the wand showed up. He's going to need to find a way to take it without anyone seeing.

"This had better be worth it."

* * *

 _ **Alright, this chapter didn't take too long to write at all. I was afraid this might take forever like the last one but this is actually a really good point to break.**_

 _ **Leave any comments, questions, suggestions, or theories in the reviews below. Or insults. Haven't gotten a single insult yet. What is with you people?**_


	15. Awakening

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. You got me up to 5,000 views today. Hit it during class sometime earlier. October really does rock this year. It's been just over 3 weeks since I started writing this story. I love you all so much.**_

 _ **Now for more important matter: reviews~**_

 _ **ChelJosh: (Chapter 13) Sorry, missed your review. The servers were doing that thing again where they refuse to output the reviews. Much hate. Anyway, Marco's grandpa is indeed known in another dimension. The how and why will not be revealed in the author's notes, though. Did you really think they would be?  
**_ _ **(Chapter 14) Yeah shit hit the fan recently. Things getting crazy.**_

 _ **Anonymims: I don't know why but I was obsessed with that song all summer. Thankfully I still had spotify premium back then so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. Wait, I**_ **do _know why. Because it's a kick ass song!_**

 ** _Guest (omitting the 'sorta'): YOU CAN'T MAEK MEH DU SHIET! I'LL MAKE WHOEVER I WANT EXPLODE IN A HOUSE FIRE actually, no I won't, that's really cruel..._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Here's how the reviews tend to work now: every once in awhile 's servers will experience a bit of what I call "output lag". That is to say, the servers will recognize that a new review was posted to your story but won't post the actual review until a certain undiscernible time period has been used up. At least, that's how I think it works. You can still see your reviews through your email, though. The email you used to sign up on . Hope that helps!_**

 ** _Goldyxz: Is it nightmare-fueled? Or is it fueled by her own process of mind? Or is it real at all? Nah, it ain't real._**

 ** _DonDonatek: I never watched_ How I Met Your Mother. _Still clever all the same. You better betcha buns I'll have fun writing the next few chapters!_**

 ** _God damn, that was a lot of reviews. I tend to post these chapters later in the day and end up waking up to, like, 8 reviews. The hell happened in these last 3 weeks...?_**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Awakening**

"They're in here. Their vital signs have been consistently normal but do be careful, they're fragile."

"Thanks doc."

Janna led the other 3 into the hospital room. It was the regular white, nothing really stood out in the room except for its two initial occupants. There were two beds next to each other with a rather large gap between the two. One of them was next to the window. This one held Marco. Because Star was closer the group flocked to her bed first.

She was a mess. Her long blonde hair was strewn everywhere, there were bandages covering her neck and shoulders, and there were stitches covering her face in different places. Her cheek marks were faded and nearly invisible.

Ferguson broke down on the spot. He fell to his knees, crying like a baby. He rested his large forehead resting against the side of her tall bed.

"She can't die! I can't have her die! We were gonna get married!" He wailed against the tears.

Alfonso knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh Ferg, no you weren't." His voice was soft and comforting. "And she isn't going to die."

"I know, I just like being dramatic."

Janna turned her head to glance over at Marco, half biting her bottom lip. Jackie noticed this and looked back with her. She gave Janna a quick little nudge over to Marco, looking her in the eyes with a nod.

* * *

By now a few days had passed for Star and her unconscious friend. This world they were in wasn't so bad. Finding food had been significantly easier than it seemed. The first time she realized she was hungry the only thing she could think about was Marco's nachos. Oh man, Marco's nachos. She closed her eyes in reminiscence. The boy was a stupidly good cook when it came to Mexican cuisine just like his father. Must run in the family. It was like she could just smell them now. When she opened her eyes she realized she actually was smelling Marco's nachos. There was a plate of them right in front of her. Where in the world did they come from? It's not like anyone cooked them. All these faceless people did was stand around and pretend to exist and Marco definitely didn't make them. Did she? She didn't have her wand on her, how could she possibly have conjured up such delectable treats?

It didn't take too long to figure out how it worked. All she had to do is really want something. Reeeaaaally want it, and it would appear around her. This was definitely some kind of dream, there's no way she wasn't stuck in her own head right now. The signs were just too obvious. The only thing she really wanted right now, though, was for Marco to wake up. She thought about it on multiple occasions but no matter how hard she tried Marco just continued to lay there motionless. She hoped he would wake up soon.

She was beginning to lose hope of ever seeing her friend awake again.

They hadn't even kissed yet.

* * *

As Alfonso continued to console Ferguson over Star, ironically, the two girls walked over to Marco. Janna looked down, a saddened expression understandably drawn on her face. Jackie put a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright. I promise."

"How long have you known?"

"It wasn't that hard to tell. I've seen the way you look at the two of them."

"It's funny. A lot of people say I'm one of the most straightforward people they know."

"Not everyone can be perfect at the thing their good at."

"But I feel like it's too late now. What if he nev- _they_ never wake up? And even if they do, would I ever find the guts."

"You're the only one that can find the answer to that."

"Hey Jackie, mind if I ask you something? How come you've never tried to go out with him? I mean, he's had a crush on you for the longest time. And he's not a bad catch either."

"I don't know, I guess he just never struck me as much of a lover. Just not my type."

"Ooooooo, you're into romance, huh? You think you'll find it in one of them skater boys you love to hang out with so much?"

Jackie blushed and looked away with a frown. "Not like you're really making a move out there."

"Eh, I know he'll warm up to me eventually. I busted him outta jail before, after all."

* * *

Star was beginning to experiment with these confusing mind powers when she realized something was off in her little mind world. It started when she heard the voices. It was 4 different people total. One of them was crying. Was that Ferguson? It had to be, she could recognize that voice anywhere.

She searched all over town for Ferguson, finally following the only lead she had now. When she became desperate her mind helped her out a little. Because she so desperately wanted to find the faceless version of Ferg now her mind had the power it needed to bring her to him as well as the others.

They were in the hospital downtown, gathered in a room together looking over the beds there. The part that Star loved the most about this scene was the fact that the 4 of them, Jackie, Janna, Alfonso, and Ferguson, all had faces. She called out to them to get there attentions, even grabbed one of their shoulders. They made no attempt to acknowledge her and were completely unmovable. They were saying something, too. It was nearly impossible to hear what Janna was talking to Jackie about over the sound of Ferguson crying. No matter where she was the volume of their voices refused to change at all. She could make out bits and pieces, though.

Janna said something about being straightforward. Jackie responded with something about being perfect. Wait, until _who_ wakes up? Was she talking about her? No she was talking about a 'him'. A 'him' that has a crush on Jackie...

Marco...

The rest of the conversation just slid by Star's ears as she lost focus on them. Marco was in the hospital, in that bed there yet... not in that bed. Was she seeing the real them? But if Marco was in the hospital then where was she? Wouldn't it make sense that Star would be the first person to see if he was ok?

It didn't take an idiot to figure out who was in the other bed.

 _'What happened...?'_

* * *

The doctor came back in the room to see the four teenagers gather in the center of the room watching Star. She had let out a little whimper a few seconds ago. She hadn't done anything more than that but they still watched just in case something happened.

"Visiting hours are almost up. It's getting dark, you kids should head back home for the night."

As the doctor left Janna moved over to Star's bed. She started to push it towards Marco's.

"Guys, come help me with this."

Without questioning it all 4 pushed Star's bed right up next to Marco's. Their mission complete the group of friends left the injured two to rest.

As they left, and without anyone having seen, the hands of the two unconscious ones reached out and grabbed each other from beneath the covers.

* * *

Star was running back towards the house. After the group left they had lost their faces again. But there was still one person who had his face. She could feel his heart beating in her own chest. She knew it had finally happened.

He was awake.

Marco sat up and rubbed his head with a groan. He looked around the room he was in. Star's room. He was in her bed.

He immediately jumped up, his ignorant boy brain fearing the worst. There was no way that happened, not after everything he said. Star would never!

He stumbled back down onto the bed. Getting up that fast gave him a headache. It wasn't long before Marco could hear feat pounding their way to the door. There was no time for him to get into a defensive position. Before he realized it he was swept into a hug.

"Ach! Star, a little warning next time!"

Star was choking back tears, he could hear it. "You're awake! Oh my god I thought you would never wake up!"

"Wake up? How long was I out?"

"Days..."

"Holy crap..."

* * *

 **There is only one time skip this time around. Enjoy it while it lasts.**

* * *

It took awhile for Star to get Marco caught up on the situation. Marco was having a hard time grasping the concept of being in some sort of dream reality. The two of them eventually came to the conclusion that maybe this wasn't just her mind making this world a thing. They tested this by having Marco conjure something up.

"So, you're telling me we're in the hospital?" Marco talked through a mouth full of nachos.

"Yeah, I saw Janna, Jackie, Ferguson, and Alfonso were all in the hospital talking about us. Do you remember what happened?"

"Last thing I remember was us studying in my room and then... we went to sleep? I'm not sure what happened after that. It just kinda blanks out. It wasn't _that_ late, I remember that. You?"

"If I knew anything I would have told you already."

They ate in silence for a good few minutes before Star thought of something to say.

"You know, when I realized this wasn't real I was scared for my life. But when I realized there wasn't any danger in this world the only thing I was afraid of was you never waking up. It's been days, Marco. Days! You know how that made me feel?" Tears were welling up in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry, it's not like I was choosing to stay asleep. If I could have woken up earlier you know I would have!" He reached across and placed and hand on hers. "I would never abandon you like that."

She couldn't help herself anymore. It was like he was just begging her to do it. So she took the opportunity. She pounced on him.

And their lips met for the first time.

Marco was shocked at first but didn't have the heart to end it. In fact, he kind of liked it. Was that bad? Star's only regret in all of this was that it had to be in what was possibly a dream.

When Star pulled away her face was as red as a beet and she had to hide her face with her hands. More minutes of silence before Marco decided to break it this time.

"Star... why?"

"I couldn't help it, ok!? You know how I feel about you."

"No, I mean... why did you stop?"

He pulled her hands away and brought their faces together again.

Neither of them pulled away for a very long time.

* * *

Ludo had finally given up.

After the firemen had searched the entire wreckage of the house and deemed there was nothing left to find they got back on the truck and headed out. Ludo took this opportunity to search it himself.

His search came up with nothing of any magical property. With a heavy sigh and a hung head he opened a portal back to the Wastelands. He had to break the news to the others that the wand wasn't there.

* * *

"And you're sure they're ok? They understand why they can't go back?"

"Yes, of course."

"And they got everything of value?"

"I made sure of it after they came through the portal. Shame they couldn't make a second trip to warn the kids. But they did bring us this:"

Glossaryck held Star's wand out to the Queen. No one in the room was quite sure where he had been hiding it.

"Perfect. And She's stable, yes? Her and Marco?"

"Yes, they'll recover in a few weeks."

The Queen let out a sigh of relief with her husband. They were both terribly relieved that their little girl was ok.

"Go check on the barracks. Make sure the troops are ready. I want them so strong they could storm a stronghold with ease if they had to."

"Yes, my liege."

Glossaryck left, leaving only Moon and River to talk.

"These monsters are going to be sorry they ever even tried to revolt. I'll have Ludo's little head on a plaque before this war is over."

"Honey, I know you're angry that a legion of monsters just tried to kill our daughter but you need to calm down. Leave the beheading to me."

The Queen smiled and looked down her husband.

"Oh, River, this is why I married you. You always know exactly what to say."

"I love you, too, my queen."

* * *

 _ **Woo, boy, that's some chapter there, huh? What was Janna talking to Jackie about? Why is it that Marco only woke up after he got physically closer to Star? Who brought Star's wand back to Mewni? Are Marco's parents dead? When will this stupid war just happen? Why did this asshole of an author harm precious little Star and Marco?**_

 _ **I swear all these questions will be answered eventually. Until then, enjoy the Starco I just fuckin' dropped on ya. You're welcome.**_

 _ **Got a suggestion? Leave a review. Got a question? Leave a review. Want to tell me how much of an asshole I am? Leave a review. Seriously, why are you guys so nice? Just call me a fucking dick already.**_


	16. Aftermath

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I think it's about time we let Marco and Star out of their little prison. Don't worry, we'll be mess with them, though. But who will I have wake up first...**_

 _ **And now, review tiem!~**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: No no no, you have to really mean it. It doesn't mean jack shit if you don't say it with the utmost gusto. Like, here. Watch:  
Guest sorta, I genuinely think you're a cunt. Are you offended and/or insulted by that? Good, that's what it was meant to do.  
And that's how you insult people. *Cue 'the more you know'***_

 _ **Goldyxz: YAS THE SHIP HAS ARRIVED AT THE PORT! And... damn, that's actually some pretty good insight you have there. I guess that's true, from a psychologist point of view. And I check my reviews every, like, 30 minutes too. I know exactly how you feel.**_

 _ **DonDonatek: Yeah, I feel you. I get what you mean, but that also isn't why I only used one time skip. Time skips can only be used in the case of a skip in time, the use of those horizontal lines doesn't fit that description.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: That was secretly my plan all along! HAHAHAHAHAHA wait, no it wasn't... You're answers better come, I'm curious to see how people follow the story line.**_

 _ **And with that I give you chapter 16:**_

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Aftermath**

When their second kiss released it had already gotten dark. Marco felt a mix of pleasure and guilt as he looked up into the eyes of the only sentient girl in 'the world'. She really was beautiful, he couldn't deny himself that, but there was still that little part deep down in his heart that longed for the one he had sought after for years. Maybe it'll be fine, maybe Jackie had never really liked him back? He pushed that idea to the back of his mind for another time.

Star returned Marco's gaze from above. They had eventually rolled onto his back as the kiss took place. Star felt the utmost satisfaction from this after everything that had happened in the last week or so, probably more. It was getting hard to tell how long she had been in this world and her hope for getting out was slowly vanishing. Did she even want to leave? What else did she need other than what she had here? She had infinite food on command and a Marco that loved her back.

But all good things do come to an end in life, and this could never be an exception.

* * *

There had been an assembly at school asking students to lend their prayers to Star and Marco who had been in a terrible accident. Everyone knew what had happened at this point. It doesn't take long for news like this to travel throughout the entire school in less than 3 days.

At the hospital, however, the two fallen always had one continuous visitor. One of their friends always showed up at the same time everyday to make sure she was there for when they woke up. No one would have expected it to be Janna.

Though she may look like a stoic, uncaring, and light fingered girl on the outside she always had that bit of good nature in her. This good nature compelled her to make sure these two would be alright in the end. After school she could be found in the room with Star and Marco, sitting in the same chair everyday with a book or her phone or whatever to keep herself entertained. Things went on like this for the better half of nearly 2 weeks. The doctor said they should be regaining consciousness any time soon now. This only gave Janna more reason to stay where she was.

The late-day December light was shining through the window when it happened. It was almost like Christmas came a week early this year.

* * *

Months. Full on months had gone by for Star and Marco now. This was just getting ridiculous.

After their first kiss Star and Marco could barely look at each other right. Marco started to try and avoid her gaze while Star would just blush when ever they happened to make eye contact. It took awhile before they could even hug again. There were at least 3 accounts of them kissing by the time Marco had left.

It was rather late in the day, Star and Marco had just finished eating a freshly spawned plate of nachos. Marco stood up with the excuse of having to use the bathroom. After standing up and turning around Marco's body froze.

"Marco? You cool?"

No response. He wasn't moving, just standing there, back turned. Star got up and reiterated herself.

"Marco?... You ok?..."

If there had been anyone else around that could hear they would have bleeding eardrums. Star's screams were not something she was usually quiet about. And the fact that Marco had lost his face just like the others was not helping.

Star backed up towards the wall in fear. Marco wasn't just asleep or unconscious again... he had turned into one of the others. In a few more seconds his body disappeared entirely. She could hear him, though, and she had a pretty good idea as to where he was.

* * *

Marco sat up in his bed. He had woken with a start and was breathing heavily. The first thing he was met with was a hug. This one wasn't from Star, though.

Janna had been sitting in her chair as usual when she saw Marco had woken up. She couldn't help but feel relieved as she ran to him.

"AH! Ah! Janna! Janna that hurts!"

"Oh right, sorry."

She let go of his bandaged body and took a step back. Marco looked around the hospital.

"What... what happened...?"

"Marco... your house. It's... it's gone."

"What do you mean, gone? It didn't just vanish or something, did it?"

"No, it... blew up. Exploded. The police are saying it was a gas line."

"Exploded? But what about-" He grabbed his head in fear. "MY PARENTS! Oh god, Janna, tell me they're all right!"

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down.

"Their bodies were never found."

"They're... dead?"

"Well, technically they're labelled as 'missing'."

Marco went silent. He couldn't imagine life without parents. What was going to happen to him? Would he be forced to move in with his uncle? Well, it wouldn't really be forced. His uncle was always a pretty cool guy. But what about Star?

He turned to look at the girl in the bed next to him. Would she have to go back home? If she did would he ever see her again? He needed Star now, there was no way he could make it through without her by his side. His eyes glazed over.

"How, uh... how long have I been out?"

"Nearly 2 weeks."

"2 WEEKS!?"

"I know, that's a lot of-"

"That's it!? 2 weeks!? I was in that world for easily over 2 months."

"Marco, what are you talking about? You've been here this entire time."

"No, while I was unconscious me and Star were in this... place. It was the town and everyone was there but they didn't have any faces and we could make things with our minds and-"

"Marco! Calm down. I have no idea what you're talking about but you're in the real world now. Your head's probably just a little banged up still. I'll go get the doctor."

"No, Janna, wait!" But it was too late, she was already out the door.

Marco had some time to think before she came back. He thought about what Star must be thinking right now, hoping she wasn't taking it too hard. He thought about why it had been only 2 weeks in the real world yet 2 months in his head. He thought about why his house was gone and where his parents were. He was starting to refuse that they were dead. If their bodies were never found then they had to have gotten out. He tried to think back to the last night he was aware of.

He was in his room with Star studying. She was complaining about studying as always and it was almost dinner time. Then... nothing.

He didn't have much more time to think about it before Janna came back with the doctor.

"Oh, Marco. Glad to see you're up."

"Yeah, glad to be up. I guess."

"Yes, well, I know being informed on the situation can be a little tough at first but let me say that your situation is already being handled."

"And... what about Star?" He gestured over to the girl in the bed with a nod.

"Well, without the legal consent of your parents to transfer her to where ever you end up she will have to go back home."

Marco looked away frowning. Janna went over to him, sitting down on his bed.

"Hey, Marco, maybe it's not all that bad. We could always just get _her_ parents' consent on the matter. How hard could that be?"

The doctor thought about this for a second. "Yes, that should work. At least it will after we get you a place to go at all. That's up to the local law enforcement."

Marco made no comment, his mind was still stuck on the fact that Star hadn't woken up yet.

"Hey, doc, how long until Star's ok?"

"Oh she should be fine now. Completely stable. When she wakes up is a matter of time. Now, before we do anything else I'll be sending in the one of the hospital's psychiatrists. He's just going to ask you a few questions on the matter and be on his way."

"Sure, sounds easy enough."

As the doctor left Marco turned back to Janna.

"I wanted to ask you, why is it that you were the only one here? Or, actually, why is it that you were here at all. I didn't think you cared all that much."

"Oh, uh, yeah, well, y'know. I thought it'd be nice if you had someone to wake up to and Alfonso, Ferguson, and Jackie were all busy." A faint pink was showing on her cheeks. "I guess it was just my turn."

"Ok, well, thank you. I'm sure Star would appreciate it just as much as me."

"Yeah, I bet she would. I... also wanted to say... sorry for, y'know, your house and parents and all. I'm not really good at these consolation things but if it means anything to you I'm always here to talk."

"Thanks, Janna. You're honestly the last person I expected to hear that from but that's really nice of you."

"And if you tell anyone I'll do more than just steal your keys. And open your diary. And then publicly read that diary aloud on the internet. To over 200,000 people-"

"Ok I get it!"

They both ended up laughing over this.

* * *

 **Here's a serious time skip. It's very serious. I'm serious.**

* * *

"Well, Marco, it seems that while you were in your unconscious state your mind managed to create a world parallel to this one in order to cope with the physical stress placed on it. Now I can't guarantee that it was the actual Star you were talking to while there but it's not impossible to rule it out entirely. The human brain has done some pretty un-explainable things in the past."

The psychiatrist looked over his notes he took while Marco told him everything that had happened.

"Now that you're awake again can you tell me how you took the news of your situation with your home and parents?"

"When I originally heard the news I was... really shocked. It wasn't easy to believe that the place I had lived in for so long has just... vanished. Vanished so easily. Like it... didn't matter at all. And my parents are alive. I know they are, I can feel it. There's no way they're dead."

The psychiatrist nodded his head and added in his own 'mmhmm's as he listened.

"You may be in denial, the first stage of grief-"

"It's not denial! Their bodies were never found, they're not dead."

"Yes, I heard, but you really shouldn't throw denial off the table so easily. It's a valid possibility."

Marco fell silent. Janna was waiting outside the room when the psychiatrist left. She went inside the first chance she got.

"Marco, visiting hours are almost over. Want me to get you something to eat before I go?"

"No, no I'm fine. Thanks though."

"Alright well..." She hugged Marco again, this time much less aggressively. "Get better soon, ok? We all miss you at school. And I'd hate for you to have to spend Christmas here."

Marco hugged back lightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

* * *

 **Here's the last time skip for this chapter. Enjoy it while you can.**

* * *

It was late that night when Star woke up, around 2 am. Marco wasn't able to fall asleep that night anyway.

She was met with a hug just as Marco was. She was bandaged just the same as he was.

They spent the rest of that dark early morning getting caught up. Marco told her everything he had learned that day. What happened to the house, how his parents may or may not be dead, how he was going to have to find a new place to live, how she was going to go back with her own parents unless she could get permission to stay, and how that world they had just come out of was created by Marco's mind. When Star confirmed that she had the same memories as he did about that place he knew it wasn't just his own mind that created it. Something had linked their minds together to be able to create and experience the same pseudo-reality. Was it magic? They decided to agree on that.

When Star asked whether he would be willing to talk about the... sensual moments they shared when they were down together he refused.

"What happened in that world stays in that world. Let's just leave it at that."

Star agreed reluctantly, disappointed and almost annoyed that it meant so little to him that he would be so willing to cast it aside.

Morning came that day as it always did and with it came the pains of reality. Star and Marco may be separated after they got out of the hospital. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the wait on this one, guys. I had a lot of this planned out but had a hard time finding a way to write it out and give it a good word count. I wrote a large majority of it while listening to Billy Joel. Fuck, why is that man so talented!?**_

 ** _The Christmas chapter is coming up soon so if you wanna see a little idea of yours incorporated into it just let me know. It's gonna be a sad one so be ready._**


	17. The Time for Family

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I was hoping this part would get out closer to Christmas back when I planned it but, as it turns out, I ended up posting chapters WAAAAAAY faster than I thought I would. Also, I'm not even going to attempt to type out Uncle Enrique's accent.**_

 _ **Oh well, reviews!~**_

 _ **ChelJosh: Aw, you don't need to be super imaginative in your reviews, you already write them so nicely. Glad I could appease your sense of regularity with my frequent uploads.**_

 _ **Time skip: Hey! Calm it down, Naruto, I don't want any jutsu's in my reviews wrecking up the place. It's a sensitive machine, the review page is.**_

 _ **Guest sorta: IT'S FIIIIIVE OCLOOOCK ON A SAAAATURDAAAAAY! THE REGULAR CROWD SHUFFLES IIIIIN!**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: You fuckin' got that right, he is!**_

 _ **Goldyxz: Was it their imagination? Or was it magic? Hmmmmm? I never realized just how much I made Marco lose in the last few chapters, thanks for pointing that out to me. But remember, Marco's not the only one losing shit here. I wouldn't really call this chapter more suffering, really, but definitely pretty feelsy.**_

 _ **In regards to the preview reviews:**_

 _ **Clebrity Martyr: Sorry, but I refuse to stop until you all are as unfeeling and emotionless as I am. More feels to come.**_

 _ **TheDimensionalReader: Aw, thank you! That realism is exactly what I was going for.**_

 _ **Guest sorta: That's exactly what that was, taken out of context. I will destroy whatever damn ship I wanna destroy.**_

 _ **Anonymims: Mom, don't call me dudemanbrodette. It's weeeiiiird. I know I left the nest and I'm grown up and all but still. (Also, I've seen that before but I can't fucking put my finger on where. I know it was on youtube...)**_

 _ **C.D.E: Hey, hey, welcome to my wonderful world of torture! And did I hear that correctly? DID I ACTUALLY CONVERT SOMEONE FROM THE HORRORS OF TOMCO!? That's it, everyone, my job is done. This fic is over, go home. And the time skip lord is pleased to have another follower. Bring me more blood of virgins! Also cookies. Thanks!  
**_ ** _I feel your pain, btw. Cancer has recently taken my grandmother from me back in august so I'm glad I can help you find happiness in something as stupid as this. Genuinely, I am. Keep on rockin', meng!  
And calm yo tits. I wanted this one to be p-e-r-fect_**

 ** _Goldyxz: The fic know all, the fic knows everone. Not even the deepest secrets are safe from its grasp. It knows your weakness and will act in spite of it. I truly am a cruel beast._**

 _ **Holy poop, that was the longest opening author's note I've made yet. Now, prepare your anus holes because this chapter's goin' in dry! And without further ado, I present to you:**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **The Time for Family**

There was nothing that hit either of them harder than when they had to say goodbye.

It was the last time they would see each other for a very long time.

* * *

 **This will be the only time skip this chapter as to keep the feel and flow of the chapter constant. Thank you for your cooperation.**

* * *

Marco and Star sat in the back seat of Marco's Uncle Enrique's car. They stared out of their respective windows in silence. Uncle Enrique tried not to break their concentration, he could tell there was something going on between the two of them. When they arrived at Uncle Enrique's house there were still no words exchanged between anyone until they went inside. Enrique addressed Star. He spoke in a pretty heavy accent.

"Your parents said they would pick you up here. All of your stuff that was pulled out of the wreckage is out in the back yard. You might want to go call them on your mirror when you're ready."

Star nodded and, without a word, walked out back to her stuff leaving Marco and his Uncle. They looked at each other for a second and hugged.

"God dammit, Marco, you gave me such a damn scare, there."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, I know it's not your fault. I'm just happy you're ok."

"So am I."

They released each other and Enrique looked back towards where Star went.

"Did something happen between the two of you? Your parents said that you were so close."

Marco winced at the mention of his parents. "Yeah, we were. I don't know what happened, though. Ever since we woke up she's just gotten... distant."

It'd been a few days. The hospital needed some time to make sure they'd be fine before discharging them. The police had found Marco's Uncle and told him what had happened. He almost immediately said he'd take them in. Star's parents, however, said they needed Star back. In the few days before they left Star had started to talk to Marco less and less until she would barely say 2 words to him. He assumed it was the fact that she would be going home.

"You should go try to talk to her one more time. Lord knows when you'll see her again."

And with that, Marco was running to the back door.

He found her sitting on the back step, head in her hands. He could have sworn he heard her crying lightly. He sat down on the step next to her and looked out at the small back yard in front of them. The mid December air nipped at his skin. He didn't even look over at his friend.

"Star I-"

"Save it." She turned her head away. "There's nothing you could say that would make this situation any better."

"I could try, though."

"No. You can't."

"But-"

"Just stop!" She snapped her head over to look at him, her eyes filled with anger. "Stop trying to comfort me! I don't need you to make me feel better, Marco. You had your shot at that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why does it matter to you?!" She stood up with a jolt, walking angrily out to the center of the yard. "Why do you have to act like _I_ matter to you?"

"Star... you do matter to me..."

"Oh sure. Is that why you would rather just forget about the time we shared together in that- that- dream world? Was it not good enough for you? Or is it that you only kissed me because no one else was around? Is that it?"

"Star!" Marco had stood up now. "Why would you even ask that? Of course what we had in that world was special to me. I only said we should leave it where it was because we have things to deal with now. It's best we don't get too attached until this is all sorted out."

"Well, looks like we won't be getting all that attached, then. I don't want to be friends with someone who just abandons their friend's feelings like that."

"No, I told you I would never abandon you. I wasn't lying about that, I would never lie to you. Star, please. Don't be angry at me."

Marco reached for her arm but she pulled away.

"I loved you, Marco... And you just tossed my feelings to the side as if they didn't matter." She started to walk back to the mirror. Tears had started to fill her eyes. "Well, if I don't mean all that much to you then maybe I should just go! Get out of your life for good."

"Star, please. You don't have to leave like this."

"Maybe it's better that I do." She looked at the mirror that was laying up against the back of the house. "Call Mom."

"Calling Mom" The mirror chimed back to her in it's usual machine-like voice. Marco fell silent as The Queen came up on the mirror.

"Hi, mom. I'm ready." Her voice was thick through her tears.

Her mother nodded and hung up. In just a second a portal opened up and her parents walked through, escorted by two guards. They hugged their daughter tight. No one except Star knew that Marco was standing there.

When Star's things had been taken back through the portal and nothing was left but the two kids again, Star looked over into Marco's eyes.

This was it. This was goodbye.

"Star, I know you're angry at me but..." He couldn't think of anything to say. He wanted so desperately to get her to stay or, at the very least, to leave without such a heart wrenching goodbye.

Star looked into the portal then down at the ground. "Goodbye Marco."

She stepped through. Star was gone.

It was full minutes before Marco moved his eyes from where the portal dispersed from. He looked back at the house and saw they had left behind the mirror. It still leaned against the house where it had been. Marco was instantly overcome with the desire to smash it with a sledgehammer but instead walked back into the house.

* * *

Marco sat in his room in his Uncle's house. He had lost just about everything, now. His house was gone, his parents were gone, his friends were back in Echo Creek. He didn't even have school to take his mind off things. With Christmas break just starting up for the local school district his uncle decided to wait until the break was over to enroll him in the high school. Then there was Star.

Star was gone.

Marco gazed out the window. It wasn't that big of a house, Uncle Enrique wasn't a millionaire, but Marco was happy to be where he was instead of in an orphanage or, worse, on the streets. At least he still had his Uncle.

Reminiscing on what he did have made Marco remember what was coming up in a week. Christmas.

He remembered the time Star had asked him what that was.

* * *

"Marco, what's Christmas?"

"What kind of question is that? Where did you here about Christmas?"

"I heard some kids talk about it at school. And who's Santa? Is he evil?"

Marco chuckled, realizing that Star wouldn't have that holiday back on Mewni. "Well..."

Star sat down on the floor cross-legged, ready to listen to his story.

"Christmas is a holiday we have here on Earth that was originally about the birth of what we call 'The Messiah'. The Messiah was supposed to be the person who would unite all religions into one. For Christianity, or the religion my Dad's side of the family follows, it was a man named Jesus. Christmas was supposed to celebrate his birth but, as most things tend to do, its meaning was changed as times advanced. Now we have this story about a man named St. Nicholas, or Santa Clause, who visits good boys and girls on Christmas and leaves them presents. We put stockings overs the fire place and decorate a tree in the living room."

"That sounds like a really weird tradition."

"Yeah well, I wasn't the one who started it. Santa leaves the presents in the stockings and under the tree. Personally, I don't believe in Santa. No one my age ever does anymore. Heck, I've seen my parents put the presents under the tree with my own eyes. But, it's still a fun tradition so I'm not gonna complain. What Christmas really means is different for everybody these days."

"What do _you_ think Christmas is all about?"

"Personally I think it's all about celebrating the family and friends you have and getting to know the sense of belonging you have with them. I think Christmas should be spent with the ones you love, spending time just getting along. Singing, laughing, eating, giving each other presents. A lot of people say Christmas is all about giving but I think that's just a nice little side effect of the holiday. We need this day to really learn to appreciate those that we have in our lives."

"But I already appreciate you, Marco. Why do we need a specific day to do that?"

"Sometimes people forget about their family and friends and having Christmas is just a good way of reminding everyone what's really important in life."

"Aaaawww that's really sweet of you."

"Oh man, I can't wait to show what Christmas _really_ feels like. I know you'll just love it!"

* * *

"I wish I could have shown you what Christmas really feels like. I know you would have liked it."

Marco looked down at the framed picture of him and Star he had taken on his phone and printed. It was the only one they had taken and the ones his parents had taken were destroyed in the accident. She looked so happy, carefree and wild. He wished he had been able to see her like that one more time before she left. Her bright smile that made even the darkest room gleam with happiness, her sparkling blue eye, her bangs that always curled up as if to defy gravity, everything about her he wanted to see just one more time.

It would have been nice to have Star around for Christmas. He was planning on having everyone over his house on Christmas Eve but it looked like that wasn't going to happen anymore. Maybe he could get a hold of her one more time with the mirror. They had to have left it behind for a reason, right?

* * *

Star sat in her bedroom in the Castle on Mewni. She was trying to forget about what had happened before she left but it just wasn't possible. She couldn't get him out of his head. Why did Marco have to be such an oblivious butt-head? It was like he was just trying to get her angry. He didn't love her back, Star could tell. There was just no point in even giving him the thought in her mind.

Though... he did seem really apologetic before she left. Maybe he really was sorry. Did she go too hard on him?

Star thought back to the time Marco had told her about what Christmas was. A time for being with your family; that's what he said it was. For the last few months Marco had been like family to her and she was so sure he felt the same way. Now, she wasn't too sure.

The new mirror on her wall started to ring. It had her own name as the caller ID, looks like Marco hadn't figured out how to change that yet. Her parents insisted on leaving it there for Marco just in case. Should she answer? Why? It was obvious Marco was just going to try and apologize again, it'd be nice to let him try. But what could he say that would actually change anything now? It was too late to go back, and she still wasn't over what he had done. There was no doubt about it, Marco had changed. He wasn't that slightly shy, cautious, caring boy he used to be. It was time to just let him go.

She let it run to voicemail.

* * *

No answer. It's not like he was expecting her to answer or anything but he had hoped she would. The mirror informed him to record a message and to hang up when he was finished. A small red light accompanied by a tiny beep was shown on the mirror. He took a step back further into the back yard.

"Hey Star. I, uh- I know you're really mad at me and I'm sorry, really I am, but I want to talk to you. I don't want you to be mad at me, I want you to know I still care about you. I don't know when I'll ever see you again, if at all, and this may be the only way we can talk. That is, if you'll let me talk to you. Please call me back when you get the chance. I don't want to spend Christmas alone."

He hung up.

He waited.

A day went by. No call. She must be busy.

Another day, still no reply. Maybe he should leave another message.

3 days went by and there was no call from Star. Was the mirror not working or was she just not calling him? Somehow Marco stayed optimistic.

He left one more message. Third times the charm.

Marco woke up on Christmas eve and almost immediately ran outside to the mirror to check for a response. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, nothing significant but enough to make it known how cold it was outside. Marco ignored the temperature and went up to the mirror.

Nothing.

His heart fell. Another message maybe? Yeah, another message was probably the best thing he could do right now. He waited for the call to head to the answer machine like it always did and left another message. He walked back inside with a shy smile curled on his lips. When he got back to his room he saw there was a new message on his actual phone. Excited, he checked what the message from Ferguson had to say:

 _'Call me when you wake up.'_

Who was he to deny the wish of his friend for no reason?

"Hey, Ferg, what's up?"

"Marco! how you don', buddy? What's it like living with your uncle?"

"Lonely. The house always seems so... empty. Especially without Star." Marco could hear other people in the background. "Is someone there with you?"

"Yeah! Everyone's here!"

Alfonso's voice spoke up. "Dude, you're on speaker phone! Say hi!"

"Alfonso! How's it going?"

"Not as good without you around. But I'm not the only one here."

"Hey, Marco!" Janna spoke with excitement.

"Janna! Hey!"

One last voice made its appearance. "Marco, how you doin'?"

"Jackie, hi, I'm doing alright. Did you guys really all get together just to say hi to me?"

Ferguson took the lead again. "Hell yeah we did! We know how you wanted us all to get together for Christmas Eve so we took the liberty of planning a little somethin'-somethin' for today."

"Oh? And what would that little somethin'-somethin' be?"

There was a knock on the front door. Marco ran to it and swung the door open without even hanging up. He saw his 4 friends standing on the other side ready to great him.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Marco!"

They all hugged him one at a time to say 'hi'. They headed into the house and started to chat.

Even without Star around Marco had a great time with his friends. They sat around his house talking and laughing and doing stupid things only friends do around each other. Ferguson's belly face came out at one point to say hi, Janna chugged a whole 2 liters of Coke, to which Alfonso had to give Marco $10, and even Uncle Enrique had gotten up to say hi and goof off with the kids. They even got together to help decorate the Christmas Tree, something Marco and Enrique had neglected to do until now. Around the end of the night Uncle Enrique had gone off to the kitchen to start cooking dinner for the 6 of them while the kids got to talking again. Janna started off this conversation.

"So, Marco, what's it like now that Star's gone?"

Marco had nearly forgotten about her by now. He was having such a good time with the rest of the guys that he didn't really manage to think about anything else. It was just like old times, except for the fact the Jackie was there. No one was really sure why Jackie had started to hang out with them yet no one was really complaining. She was a pretty cool person, nothing spectacular, but still one that fit in with the group. Marco had his suspicions that maybe she was only doing it out of sympathy for him but decided better of such a low down thought and pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Hard. She was so energetic when she was around, really made everywhere seem a little more alive. It's hard to believe she was only here for, what, 3 and a half months? It gets so... boring now, y'know?"

Ferguson placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, man, we're all sad that she's gone but at least you still got us?"

"I don't really, though. You guys are two counties away, when am I going to find the time to visit regularly?"

"You have a phone, you know. And the internet still exists. It'll be like you never even left!"

Alfonso decided to chip in his two cents. "Except for when you're at school."

Janna knocked him one in the arm. "What I think Al is _trying_ to say is that maybe you'll find someone like us at your new school. Wouldn't want you sitting in the cafeteria alone again."

"Yeah, that'd be bad. Hey, thanks for coming, guys. I don't know what I would have done today if you didn't show up."

"Well, what were doing before we showed up?"

"Wallowing in self pity."

They all burst out laughing. Uncle Enrique called that dinner was ready from the other room. The rest of the night was spent at the dinner table, it was a great dinner by what Uncle Enrique could whip up from what he had. It wasn't Christmas yet but sometimes the day before can be just as good. Marco couldn't be anymore grateful than he was right now for what he had in front of him. Everything he used to have, his home, parents, and Star, seemed to be a lot less than the problem they used to be. He had what he needed. His friends were in front of him with his uncle, his stomach was full with food, and he was separated from the sheer cold that was outside.

Maybe life wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

He waved his friends goodbye and turned to his Uncle. Uncle Enrique considered the bunch of rowdy and obnoxious group of kids that had just left.

"What a rowdy and obnoxious group of kids. You got some nice friends there, kid, cherish them."

"Oh, I do."

They bid each other good night and headed to their respective bedrooms. When they would see each other again it would be Christmas.

* * *

Star was in her bedroom again, sitting on the edge of her bed. She was looking at her mirror that was hanging on her wall in front of her. On it was one of the messages Marco had sent her. The first one, actually.

"I don't know when I'll ever see you again, if at all, and this may be the only way we can talk. That is, if you'll let me talk to you. Please call me back when you get the chance. I don't want to spend Christmas alone."

She looked down at the rug. He was just trying to apologize again. He didn't really feel that bad for what he did. She told the mirror to go to the next message.

"Hey Star, you haven't called me back yet so you're either really busy or you're still really mad at me. I guess both is also a pretty good option. Anyway, please just call me back. I want to hear your voice one more time before you-"

"Next."

The mirror went to the next message.

"Star, listen, what I did was horrible and messed up. I can see that now. I shouldn't have tossed your love to the side like that. Can you please just forgive me? We can still talk this out through mirror if you're blah blah blah..."

He was just droning on about this again. Trying to gain forgiveness out of her for his petty mistakes. But... was that a bad thing? Maybe it was time to put this petty grudge aside.

"Next."

The mirror skipped to the next message. It was from this morning.

"If there were a message you don't skip and just listened to from start to finish please let it be this one."

 _'Ok, Marco. You have my attention.'_

"Star, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I know that doesn't mean much anymore but I could never say it enough to express just how sorry I really am. I made you feel like you didn't matter to me and that was a... horrible, horrible thing for me to do. I didn't even realize I had done it at first but I don't want to get into that. Today is Christmas eve, just like I told you about when you were here. I don't know if it's night or not on Mewni, I doubt it has the same day-night cycle as Earth, but tomorrow morning I'll be saying a prayer for you. You don't have a lot of big religions on Mewni so I know you may not get what that gesture really means but know that it means I really do care about you. I'm not even going to ask you to respond to me anymore, I know you probably hate my guts and don't want to talk to me, like, ever again but I don't want you to be in a bad mood on such a special day." Marco had been looking down at the ground the whole time. He let out a sigh and looked straight into the mirror with a shy smile. "So crack a smile, Star, maybe Santa will bring you some good cheer tomorrow. I know I'll try my best to smile for you if you don't. Merry Christmas."

Star was completely taken aback. Her eyes were glossy and her hands were shaking a little. She felt so guilty for yelling at this poor boy the way she did, she really messed up his life and on such a special day. Maybe he really was sorry about what he had done and maybe she should forgive him. Heck, maybe she needs his forgiveness now. If only she were allowed to go back to Earth and just hug him.

She needed to talk to her parents. She sprung up and ran out of the room.

* * *

"Ok, we shall attempt to reallocate some of the public's money and concern towards the livestock industry. Maybe that will help you get back up on your feet in about a week or so."

"Oh, thank you, m'lady!"

The peasant farmer that was standing in the middle of the throne room turned and left. Star peeked out from around the back of the thrones. That looked like the last petitioner for the day. She stepped out to confront her parents.

"Mom? Dad?"

The Queen jumped in freight.

"Star! You really shouldn't sneak up on us like that, these are troubled times!"

"I know, I'm sorry."

Her father turned to Star. "And you know you shouldn't be out in such a public room in the castle. The commoners are still to think that you're on Earth."

"I know, I know, I just need to talk to you guys about something."

"Not here, we will relocate."

The two monarchs rose from their seats and herded their daughter out of the room, instructing the guards to lock up. When they were safe and comfortable in their new location Star opened her mouth again.

"Mom, Dad, why exactly can't I go back to Earth?"

Her mother sighed, knowing this question was bound to pop up eventually.

"Star, these are matters far outside your own comprehension. You don't need to know what's going on only that it is for your own safety."

"Safety? Are you talking about Marco's house blowing up? That was a freak accident, the police said so."

"Yes, the local guard force was fairly certain about that, weren't they? It wasn't an accident, Star. Someone attempted to hurt you and we know who it was. We need you here and out of sight so that if an attempt is made again they won't know where you are. We cannot risk the life of the future queen just because she doesn't want to leave her friends behind."

"But if I'm the future queen shouldn't I be getting more information about all this than what you're telling me? I deserve to know everything just like you! Who tried to kill me? Was it Ludo? I bet it was Ludo."

The King and Queen looked at each other for a second and the Kind nodded.

"Yes, it was Ludo and his forces. They were attempting to obtain the wand-"

"THE WAND! Oh my gosh, where is it? Did they get it? I haven't seen it anywhere and no one could find it!"

"Calm down, Star, we have it. Our Earth Ambassadors managed to grab it before the accident."

Star wiped her brow and let out a _'few'_.

"Now Star, what we are about to tell you is not to leave this room through your own means. We will personally tell the masses when the time is right."

Star nodded. The King stepped forward.

"*ahem* As you know, Ludo is not out there looking for good. He seeks revenge and will go to any length to get it. He's been recruiting forces for his own evil army for some time now. Our spies tell us that he wanted to procure the wand to give him a huge advantage in taking the castle while simultaneously weakening our own forces. Luckily he thinks the wand was lost in the explosion and believes the field to be rather even now. He may still go after you, though, so we can't let you out of our sight until we know Ludo is out of the way. I'm sorry, but it's just how it has to be."

"Do you understand now, Star, why this is for your own safety?"

"Yes. I do."

"Good girl, now get to bed. It's getting late."

"Yes, mom."

They hugged and parted.

When Star got back to her room she uncovered the pair of dimensional scissors she had hid in the ruffles of her royal dress. She silently thanked Janna for teaching her how to pickpocket and tossed them onto her bed. She began to search her room for a little something she had in mind. After all, tomorrow was Christmas and she needed to give Marco something. When she found it she placed it neatly in a little box along with a note. On top she wrote ' _To: Marco - From: Star'_.

Just one last trip to Earth, that's all she asked for. She went back to the bed and picked the scissors back up and made a portal. She was only going back to Earth for a few minutes.

* * *

Marco's head was running mad that night. It was like the nightmare just wouldn't stop.

He saw Star in front of him. He was back in his house, his old house. His dad had a giant trunk on his back.

"Not super into hugs, huh? You're in for a helluva time."

A hell of a time was right. He could see Star's face twist from that smug grin into something sinister as the scene changed.

The room changed back into Star's. He looked around and saw a second Star behind him, her face sympathetic. The first one disappeared.

"Marco, I know me being here is probably hard for you, especially with how... crazy I can get, but maybe it's a good thing?"

Why was he seeing this again? He already knew it was good thing, he told himself that so many times. But... maybe he only had to tell himself so he could convince himself it was true.

Her face twisted into something sinister as the scene changed.

Everything went dark. He was standing on a platform surrounded by monitors. Father Time stood in front of him.

"Many sentient lifeforms believe that it's impossible to break from their set course in life, that we are all doomed to experience our lives one second at a time from birth until death. But there _is_ a way."

Marco looked up at the strange creature with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"What? How!?"

Father Time's voice began to shimmer until it became completely unrecognizable. His words were blocked out as if by static. Only certain phrases made it through.

"It takes mass amounts of energy."

More static.

"You need a special kind of energy, one that's induced by will power. And there's no better way to increase will power than pure emotion."

More static.

"Will power doesn't just have its uses in time."

More static.

"Everything useful in life comes at a cost."

More static.

"But even will power has its limits."

Marco noticed Star standing behind Father Time. She was looking around aimlessly, watching the monitors. She locked eyes with Marco.

Her face twisted into something sinister as the scene changed.

He was kneeling in the school, surrounded by little purple hearts. Star was just below him, hugging with all her might. She was whispering in his ear.

"I never thought it'd be you."

She looked up at him, her eyes were full of tears.

Her face twisted into something sinister as the scene changed.

He was looking through a mask. He could see a brown-haired lady dancing in front of him, holding his hand and shoulder. She was smiling, her already pink dress bathed in red light. She was looking at him lovingly.

"This is one of the most special moments two people can share."

"Then let's make it last."

Her face twisted into something sinister as the scene changed.

"You're awake! Oh my god I thought you would never wake up!"

This scene wasn't right. He was out on his old house's front yard but he remembered waking up in Star's bed. The outside still looked as it did in that world, though. The skies were gray, almost as if there was just one solid cloud hanging over head, and it was like there was no shading anywhere. The sun was giving off just enough light to make it look as it were day time. Why was this the only scene that was different? He looked down at Star.

Her face twisted into something sinister as the scene changed.

Star was standing in front of the portal, looking into it. He was in his Uncle's backyard.

"Goodbye Marco."

He waited. He wanted so bad to just reach out and keep her from leaving, to say something, anything at all, just to keep her there. Why did she have to leave? Why wasn't she moving? Star was just standing there continuously staring at the portal.

"Star?"

Her face slowly turned to his and twisted into something sinister. Her stared him down dead in the eyes.

"You could have prevented this." Her voice was lower, almost evil, and bore very little resemblance to Star's actual voice. Six other Star's walked out from behind this one all with their faces twisted into something sinister.

The scene faded quickly into nothing but black. Marco looked down to see nothing and took a step back. When he looked back up he saw the 7 Stars right in front of him. He yelped and fell backwards. His footing disappeared as he began to fall into the nothingness. He saw nothing but pure darkness around him. He could hear the same line over and over again.

"You could have prevented this."

Every time it was said the voice blended closer and closer to Star's actual voice. He gripped his ears in fear as he fell. The voice stopped for a full few seconds. Then he heard Star's real voice.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

He snapped.

"I'M SORRY!"

He looked down, eyes practically popping out of his head.

He saw Star standing... on the wall? No, she was just horizontal, looking up at him. Her face was completely neutral but her arms were opened into a hug. Marco smiled wide and, through the wind resistance, opened his arms into a similar fashion. When they made contact Marco could feel carpet.

* * *

He stood up on the floor, looking around at his room. He was back in his Uncle's house. He groped at his own torso, grabbing folds of his pajama shirt, to make sure this was real. It was reality, alright. He dashed out of his room and ran into the living room.

"Merry Christmas, Marco!"

Uncle Enrique was standing in the kitchen making himself a cup of coffee.

"Merry Christmas!"

They hugged each other and headed for the living room together. There was a single present under the tree addressed to Marco from Uncle. He picked it up and opened it. Inside were a few things. The first was an old Swiss Army knife. He pulled it out of the box and inspected it with awe.

"Sharpened it just for the occasion. That was my first pocket knife, same one I had back when I was a scout."

"Woah! Thanks!"

He pulled the second item out of the box. It was a framed picture of him, his dad, and his uncle all having fun at Dodger's game.

"Found that old relic in the basement. Can't imagine how it ended up down there but I knew you'd cherish it more than me."

"I know exactly where I'm going to put this one."

"I knew you would."

The last item made him wonder. It was a dog collar, the same one that Athena used to wear. It was as if he could still hear her barking. Wait, that wasn't his imagination. He looked towards the back door and saw the big ol' lab running towards him. The dog tackled Marco to the ground licking his face ferociously and wagging its tail like it were about to fly off.

Marco was over come with laughter. "I don't get it! How did you get her out of the pound!?"

"Paid for her. I had to give them proof of lineage with your family but I got him back for you in the end."

The dog barked and shot a laser from its eyes. It scorched the wall.

"That... might be a problem."

Marco managed to get up from under Athena. "Wait! I gotta go get something."

He ran back to his room and grabbed a card. When he got back to the living room he handed it to Uncle Enrique.

"I know it's not much but I had to get you something. I... don't really have much to my name anymore. That includes money."

"Aw, Marco. It's fine, really. I don't need anything."

He opened the hand written card. The front had a childishly drawn picture of Marco and his uncle. When Enrique had finished reading the card he drew Marco into a hug.

"That was beautiful, kid. I couldn't asked for anything more than you."

"I'm glad I still have you, too."

Enrique made his way to the kitchen again. "Breakfast is gonna be ready in a few. Go get dressed."

"You got it." Marco was about to walk back out to his room when he saw something under the tree. It was a tiny little box tucked behind the trunk. He bent down and picked it up reading the label. He had to suppress a gasp when he saw it was from Star. He ran back to his room and took no time getting it open.

He lifted up a small chain necklace. On the end of it was a small silver ornament in the shape of a shooting star. There was a little note under it. He picked it up and read it.

 _Marco-_

 _I'm sorry for the way I acted when I left, it really was unlike me and I know you understand why I felt that way. I never wanted to leave on such terms but I guess it's too late now. I can't come back, at least not for awhile. I hope you understand. I wanted to give you something to remember me by until I can come back. I know you were constantly asking for me not to be upset with you but I think it's time I ask you the same thing. Don't bother trying to use the mirror, I probably won't pick up. Just wait for my call, I'll try to talk when this all blows over._

 _Merry Christmas_

 _-Star_

Marco folded the note and placed it in a drawer in his night stand. He looked down at the necklace and slipped it over his head, tucking it under his shirt.

 _Why would I ever forget?_

"MARCO! BREAKFAST IS READY!"

* * *

Marco sat on the roof of his Uncle's house and looked out into the sky. The stars were so easy to see out here, his uncle didn't exactly live in the city. His eyes traced over some of the constellations he could recognize. The stars beamed down on his face with their cosmic pride as if to confirm that they were watching him. Making sure he was ok. It brought Marco comfort knowing that Star was looking at the same stars. He started to think about the time that he spent looking at the stars with Star on the roof of his old house. How appropriate.

* * *

"And you see that one over there? The one with the three really bright stars in a line."

"Yeah, I see it. What's that one called?"

"The whole thing is called Orion, but those three bright ones are called Orion's belt."

"Huh, we have completely different constellations on Mewni."

"I would assume so."

They sat in silence for a little bit, taking in the bit of stars that they could see in the Los Angeles sky.

"Hey, Star, do you know what a shooting star is?"

"Yeah, actually. We used to have this thing on Mewni where if you see a shooting star it usually means bad luck or troubled times. Almost as if the sky itself were falling. Then our scientists found that they were just comets and people started to take a liking to them. It started to be a pretty popular jewelry piece. My grandmother gave me a necklace with a shooting star on it once."

"Wow, we actually went through the same thing on Earth, for the most part. The only difference is that here, if you see one, you can make a wish. They say when you wish upon a star all your dreams will come true."

"Sounds corny."

"Very."

They started to laugh when Marco saw her shiver. The late-October air wasn't exactly warm.

 _Be a good person. Give her your sweatshirt. Be a good person. Give her your sweatshirt._

"Hey, you cold? You want my sweatshirt?"

"Nah, I think I'm good." She shivered again.

"Star, come on, I can tell you're cold. Here." He took off his sweatshirt and tossed it onto her.

"Th-thanks." She slipped it on, wrapping her arms in the soft red fabric.

Their gaze moved back to the sky. Star's eyes lit up.

"Marco! Look! It's a shooting star!"

He looked up and saw it. A streak of light moved across the sky and looked as dazzling as either of them could have ever hoped.

"Star! Make a wish!"

She shut her eyes tight, trying to think of what she wanted. She looked back up at Marco.

"What'd you wish for? More of my nachos?"

"No stupid," she giggled "actually... I wished that I'd never have to leave."

* * *

 _So much for that wish..._

Marco stared up into the sky and held the necklace in his hand.

Then he saw it. It was so bright even a blind man could have made it out.

A streak of light ran across the sky. A shooting star.

He held the necklace closer to his heart.

"Star."

* * *

 _So much for that wish..._

Star stood on the balcony of her room looking out into the stars of Mewni. She had been reminiscing the same memory that Marco had been, though neither of them knew it.

"I hope he got my present."

Then she saw it. It was so bright even a blind man could have made it out.

A streak of light ran across the sky. A shooting star.

She held her breath.

"Marco."

"I'll miss you" they said together in unison.

If only they could have heard each other.

* * *

 _ **Done. Finally done. And it's beautiful. I have very little words that could possibly follow up such a story but fuck, almost 7,750 words.**_

 _ **That blood moon bond is really taking effect over here, I have to say.**_

 ** _The show never really specified that Marco or his family was catholic but it's pretty common from history that he probably would be. After all, his dad is Mexican, right? Guess I just took a bit of creative liberty._**

 ** _Until next time._**


	18. When the War Comes Home

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. No more waiting, this war that's been looming over head is gonna fucking happen and it's gonna be awesome. I hope.**_

 _ **Anyway, let's see them reviews from that long ass chap, huh?**_

 ** _C.D.E: 1) Two things, 1: I don't care if you're a guy or a girl. When the need for tit calming is in order then I will not hesitate to tell that initiator to calm them tits. 2: My grandma was a huge smoker back in the day, she got lung cancer, too. Glad I could alleviate some of that pain for you. You don't got the balls to go back to tomco! You're already too deep in the starco!  
2) Double reviews aren't a problem, especially when you give me something like this. That is exactly the kind of review I've been looking fro since day 1. And in all honesty, I don't proofread these chapters and it's a huge problem for me. The second I finish a chap I get all excited and absolutely HAVE to post it immediately. I'll probably end up revising the whole story in another 2 chapters or so. Now: all the things you've mentioned are great, you have excellent insight into the bits of information I've given you, but I do have answers to all of them. I don't want to give away a lot of information right off the bat in the author's notes but I CAN say that Star wasn't the one who left the mirror behind. She actually wanted to take it back but her parents left it behind. They trusted that Marco could keep it safe. I really should have written that in. Also the fact that Marco only tried to contact Star a few times wasn't my original plan. I just had to shorten it for... mental purposes. Anyway, great review and I hope to see more like this in the future. Ya li'l sleuth._**

 ** _Goldyxz: The fanfic knows everything! It's ok, though. If you're feeling too many feels then the fic is doing its job and this chapter isn't super feels oriented._**

 ** _Guest Sorta: Heeeey, I actually felt it that time. Nice job! I genuinely believed you were disgusted in me, keep it up!_**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Yes. That is all._**

 ** _ChelJosh: MUCH INTENSE VERY LOUD! THE BLOOD MOON SHALL LIVE ON IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER!_**

 ** _Krav: Holy poop, I've actually been waiting for someone to get that since the beginning. Good on you, man._**

 ** _IUcOzAdE: Well, here's the next chapter. I expect you to be here. And thank you, means a lot._**

 ** _Guest: (chapter 4)- yeah, fuck, no one thought he was capable of that. I had seen Ludo in the Wild and thought 'he's prolly gon change' and then he didn't. I started this fic before we saw that Ludo was in charge of them rats and shit so I never thought he'd be able to do that.  
(chapter 9)- Honestly the fic isn't meant to be realistic in that sense. I wanted to rewrite the story so that human reactions, government responses, emotions, and the likes to be more realistic but come on, the entire premise of the story is unrealistic in and of itself. I think I can make a little void thing. And there really wasn't any inspiration for it.  
(chapter 10)- I doubt that I would ever write that in, tbh. Tom I've changed a little bit. Sure he's a nice guy at heart but when it comes not only to his anger but also getting what he really REEEAAAALLY wants then he will do some pretty douchey things._**

 ** _Thanks for your reviews, guys. You're all making me better in your own way. Now for the chapter. The name of this chapter is another great song. Just sayin'._**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **When the War Comes Home**

Ludo had finally given up in waiting for the wand to be found.

After the firemen had searched the entire wreckage of the house and deemed there was nothing left to find they got back on the truck and headed out. Ludo took this opportunity to search it himself.

His search came up with nothing of any magical property. With a heavy sigh and a hung head he opened a portal back to the Wastelands. He had to break the news to the others that the wand wasn't there.

* * *

"Ludo! Sir! Have you returned with news?"

"Yes, Buff Frog, I have news. But it isn't good news."

"Oh." Yvgeny softened his expression.

"The wand was not in the house. You know what that means?"

"The... wand was destroyed?"

"...Precisely. There is no wand, which means we no longer will have an edge over the kingdom. But that also means that the kingdom will be at a slight disadvantage. That daughter of theirs won't be around to attack us and I _know_ their queen isn't going to get her own hands dirty, that self absorbed... bitch."

"Ludo! Language!"

"Right, right. Sorry. Forgot this was supposed to be a clean story."

"So... fight will go as planned?"

"Yes, no need to change everything over this. Please, inform the others."

"Yes, sir!"

Yvgeny turned and ran out of the room, heading for the barracks. When he was gone Ludo turned and walked over to his throne. He tapped on specific stones on the wall behind and the floor shook lightly. There was a harsh scraping noise as the large chair slid backwards to reveal a small set of stairs lit by torches. He padded down the stairs as the throne retook its position. At the bottom of the staircase was a single room, 15 by 15 feet. There was a single bed, too small for any monster or human, and a desk lit by nothing but a candle with a book and an ink well. Ludo sat at the desk and picked out the feather sticking out of the well and opened the book to a clean page. He began to write.

 _12 of Frostcleave-_

 _Mewni has re-obtained the wand. It was not in the wreckage of the building at all and those searching before me definitely did not find it meaning it must have been taken by someone before I detonated the bomb. Someone informed the Monarchy about my plan. There is a spy among our forces, someone close to the top. I suspect Yvgeny. Though he used to be my most trusted general he has grown soft and sympathetic in his older age. He caved in our plan with Tom, the prince of the underworld, so I have no reason not to think it may be him. Of course, it's not a definite, but it certainly is a big option staring me in the face and threatening this whole operation. I must find this mole before the entire army collapses. I do hope it is not Yvgeny but the security of the mission comes before emotions._

And with that Ludo blew out the candle and slept for the night.

* * *

 **Let's get a well-worshiped time skip up in here. Any objections? No? Good.**

* * *

"Is the podium ready?"

"It's ready when you are."

Ludo stepped past the large dark-red curtain to a shower of cheers. He stepped up onto the podium and adjusted the mic. Yvgeny stood by his side. Ludo looked out to the masses in front of him. Ranks and ranks of monsters filled the area, some were commoners, others were soldiers, all were going crazy. The higher ranked officials stood closer to the stage and faced the crowd. Behind Ludo hung the banners created to represent the new leadership of the Wastelands. The symbol inscribed on each was a large eyeball with bat-like wings on either side. Ludo tapped the mic to silence the crowd and cleared his throat.

"Monsters! Those who are oppressed by the Mewmans and seek to take back what is rightfully theirs! I address you with the utmost respect." His voice rang out over the masses. "For too long we have been confined to the resource-less dung heap known as 'The Wastelands'. The people who keep us here restrict our food, our supplies, and our very way of life! Our ancestors were pushed off their home and had their livelihoods stripped from their backs and we have been forced to live in their wake ever since! Well I say NO MORE!"

A huge uproar from the crowd rang in Ludo's ears. He let it die down before speaking again.

"These Mewmans are not natives of this land, they don't deserve to take our homes and our resources. And now the time has come to take back what we once started with and to live our lives in the prosperity of our home land! I will personally see to the fact that everyone of us will either get our lands back or die trying!"

Another uproar.

"Yes, I say it. There is no covering the fact that many people will die in this war. Our enemy has more advanced weaponry and better training. But they don't have the fire that drives us monsters towards our common goal. They don't have the longing that we have, the need to go back to what was taken from us! We will use this to our advantage and we will go out onto the battlefield and we will spill Mewman blood! They are the evil ones! They are the ones that must leave! They! Are! THE MONSTERS!"

Cheers grew from the already strenuously loud screams of vengeance. Ludo waved to his followers as he stepped down from the podium and back towards the curtain. He was greeted by handshakes and congratulations from his advisers. He shook hands and thanked everyone before heading into a back room. He heard a voice as he entered.

"They loved you out there."

"Yes, and they know I respect them back. It's why this is going to work."

"Are you sure that it will?"

"Yes. With all of my heart I know that we will succeed."

"Mmmm, yes I suppose it might. But what of the Queen's magic?"

"You've asked me about this before and I will tell you again. There is no need to worry about Moon. She won't use her magic and, if she does, I always have my backup plan."

"Backup plan? You don't intend to use Tom again, do you?"

"Tom? No no no, of course not. Though he could possibly rival her in strength there isn't any need for him. Besides, he would never go along with one of my plans again."

"Yes, I can imagine why."

"You don't need to rub it in, you know. I have planned for everything that I can plan for. The time is nearly here, I can feel it."

"We all can feel it. But your actions will really determine the outcome of this war. Bewaring the Queen is a top priority right now but there is a better piece of advice I can give you."

The man got up from his chair and started walking to the door.

"Beware her daughter. She has much promise and can prove to be deadly."

"I will, thank you. You always know what to tell me, Toffee."

"It's what I do." He left the room.

Ludo knew Star Butterfly would be a problem and was already planning how to deal with her. He still had a certain ace up his sleeve. A friend who could get through to the girl like no one else on Mewni. Ludo knew exactly how to use this.

After all, everyone has a weakness.

* * *

 _ **Short chapter today, guys. And it's a day late, too.**_

 _ **Fuck me.**_

 _ **Suggestions are always accepted.**_


	19. As the Seasons Change

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. After 35 days this story has received 8,000 views and 100 reviews. I couldn't ask for anything more from you guys other than your undying loyalty to the self-proclaimed Time Skip Lord. You all make me so happy!**_

 _ **And to show my happiness I will do something I've done in every chapter so far: answer reviews~**_

 _ **Guest: Coconuts, you say? Probably not the best for this chapter but I'll work it in eventually.**_

 _ **IUcOzAdE: Glad you enjoyed it, here's the next chapter.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: Oh stop it, you. It's nothing special. Don't tell anyone but**_ _ **I actually based Ludo off of Hitler a little.**_ _ **Real Ludo, in the show, is gonna become a super epic force to be reckoned with now that Toffee is gone. Toffee was supposed to be, like, a real villain since Ludo was all like "stop losing you babies" but now he's ded and we need a new evil megalomaniac.**_

 _ **Goldyxz: Her weakness could be a myriad of things. And who ever said it had to just be one thing?**_

 _ **Commander Chandell 919: I look forward to your suggestion.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: I dropped out of school for drugs and I'm doing fine so I think you got the saying right. Everyone hates how this is gonna go, tbh.**_

 _ **C.D.E: 1) Hey, man, I got a plot to move along and this ain't a starco fanfic. Sure, it got Starco in it but that ain't the main idea. Calm yo tits. Your offers have been accepted by the great time skip lord and your blessings have been bestowed. Don't ever expect shit from me, I always disappoint. Just a general rule of thumb. I have grown so much, haven't I. The power is mine and I shall do ANYTHING I WANT WITH IT!  
2) I made that name especially for you.  
3) You can go on believing that, I will not stop you, but I also will not confirm nor deny it.**_

 ** _Guys, it's official. My upload schedule SHOULD be back to normal now that marching band is over. Though with the chapters increasing in length it may be every 3 or 4 days that I post. Also, after the next chapter or 2, I will be going on another hiatus just to clean up the story. I will be going through every chapter I've written and proofreading them. This has been a long time coming, I know, but it has to happen. Better sooner than later. On with the show!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **As the Seasons Change**

Marco's life in his new school wasn't one to brag about. At all. It didn't take long to make a few new friends but so many others were deterred from him due to his rather cautious nature just like before. Old habits die hard. Marco wasn't much different from what he used to be at his old school. Sure, he was more reserved around girls rather just acting as a bumbling idiot, so there was at least one difference, but it only piled on top of his already detached personality. His 'friends' weren't super close, either. He hung out with them in the lunchroom and the hallways and even less after school and on weekends but it never really extended beyond that. He talked to his friends back home via phone and Skype and a few times made the 2 hour trip back to hang out and pay his respects to what used to be his house.

Marco was still at the top of his class though it tended to be a bit harder to maintain at first. All he could think about in class was what had happened over winter break with his friends and Star and it showed in his grades. The end of his freshman year in high school came to a close, however, with Marco as the top in his class and a 4.0 GPA.

Summer that year was much more fun than the school year had been. He spent it living at his friends' houses back home. Miraculously Ferguson's, Alfonso's. and Janna's parents all agreed to this, having taken some sympathy towards Marco. Every week he switched between living in each of their houses. All 4 of them hung out regularly and even had sleep overs just like when they were younger. Of course, Janna had never been a part of those until now, having only met the other three in middle school, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.

Summer soon passed and autumn took its place. With it came Marco's sophomore year in high school. It had been a year to the day since Star had visited Earth for the first time and still there was no call from Star on the mirror. He thought about calling her himself a few times but remembered what she had told him: _'wait until I contact you after this all blows over.'_ He touched the necklace through his shirt. He only ever took it off to shower.

Sophomore year ended up being rather boring. Marco still did fine in his classes, didn't really talk to anyone, and the other kids he called his friends before ended up growing a little more distant. The cool breeze of fall sped into the chilly winds of winter and snow came to make the land whiter. Christmas came again and Marco could feel a pang of regret. It had been a year since Star had left and still no word from her. New Years came and passed. January went by in a white flash, February was no different, March looked rather green, April warmed up, May brought the best out of spring, and June marked the end of the school year. There had been a dance held at the school for the sophomores some time in May, not that Marco was really interested in it.

Marco was once more top of the class when summer came by. It was like no one else in the school really cared about their grades and Marco didn't even need to try. He spent June through August back in his home town again just like the year previous. He got to know about what everyone else had gotten up to since last summer.

* * *

They were sitting in Ferguson's living room with a two liter bottle of soda. They all passed it around. Cups are for losers.

"Yeah, I think Abbey Henry started to go out with that senior."

"Really? Never thought she had it in her."

"Same. Really surprised me when I heard about it. Speaking of relationships, Jackie just got into one."

"Was it a skater dude?"

"It was a skater dude. You aren't jealous, are you Marco?"

"Jealous? Please, I got over her forever ago."

"Sure you did."

"Hey, Ferg, you hear about that _other_ girl that just got a boy friend?"

Ferguson and Alfonso smiled at each other devilishly as Janna started to panic and blush.

"Guuuuys, guysguysguysguys, we don't need to talk about that right now!"

Marco looked surprised. "Janna? You got a boyfriend? Woah, who's the lucky guy?"

She turned away and crossed her arms. Ferguson decided to play with her a bit.

"Come oooooooon, Janna. Just tell him."

"No."

"We won't judge, girl. Who is it?"

"I said no."

"Eh, it's alright. Me and Al already know. You wanna tell him, Al?"

"Ok, fine! Whatever, you guys are jerks. It's that kid Andrew Burgens. And he asked _me_ out."

Marco nudged her shoulder. "Burgens, eh? Nice catch there." He was holding back as much laughter as he could.

"I only agreed so he wouldn't feel bad. I'm probably gonna dump him in a few days. Maybe a week."

"Sure you will."

* * *

The summer went on like this for a little while. Andrew ended up breaking it off before Janna could. He claimed to be gay and walked off with another man. No one saw it coming. Janna shrugged it off and went about her life.

Marco went back home for his junior year in high school. He had grown a lot since freshman year. He was shaving his face regularly, his karate training had given him somewhat well toned muscles even though he has yet to advance to the next belt since he moved, and his signature red hoodie had changed to a slightly larger red hoodie to accommodate his growing body. He wasn't the only one growing, however. Though he didn't get too close to anyone Marco did notice everyone else in his class getting a little more mature. In fact, he could have sworn he saw a girl looking at him in class one time.

Marco never forgot about Star and he knew he never would. There was always that fear that she would never come back but he learned to cope with it. After all, there wasn't anything he could do about it. It's not like he had a pair of dimensional scissors and could just leave, go to Mewni, and say 'hi' to Star whenever he wanted. He couldn't even call her, and not because he didn't want to try. By the time November rolled around Marco had grown a little impatient and decided that it had been long enough. His call to Star immediately went to the answering machine. Figures.

Fall had gone again and winter blew in once more. The days seemed to just blow by as if riding the very gusts they brought with them. Marco didn't mind, the less time he had to wait for Star to call him back the better. And there was no way he would ever abandon that idea. Unless, of course, he were to fall for someone else. Someone that had been looking for him for awhile.

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Uncle Enrique had always said not to open the door when he wasn't there, it wasn't a terribly safe area, but what could be so bad that a 16 year old guy couldn't open the door to the house he lived in? Marco got up from his bed and made his way over to the door. When he opened it up he saw a woman just taller than him. She looked familiar but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but is Ubaldo here? He told me to look for a... Marco Diaz and apparently he lives here."

"Yeah, I'm Marco D- Celeste? Is that you?"

"How do you know my- Ubaldo!" She drew him into a hug.

He wrapped his arms around her in return. "Oh my god, Celeste!" He pulled away from her and looked her up and down. "How did you manage to change your look? I don't remember seeing you like this at the ball."

"Old family secret. Any woman can do it if they're strong enough."

"...You wanna come in?"

"I'd love to. Can't say it's much of a castle but I'm sure you have your reasons."

"Yeah, it's not a castle."

They sat down in the living room.

"Where's your princess? I didn't see her around anywhere."

"Princess? Oh! You mean Star. No, she's not here. She's actually on Mewni. Star left a few years ago, haven't seen her since."

"Shame, guess she wasn't interested in you."

"I wouldn't say that. How did you manage to find me, though? I haven't lived in Echo Creek in awhile."

"Oh, I met some of your friends. Ferguson says 'hi'. So, you're out here all by your self? Does it ever get lonely?"

"Well, I have my uncle, so it doesn't get too lonely. But seeing as all my friends are somewhere else it _does_ get a little hard at times."

"Oh you poor thing. Wouldn't it be nice if you had someone here with you?"

"...Are you flirting with me?"

"What? No, I would never! Ok, well, not _never_ but you get what I mean."

"No, I don't. Celeste, what are you actually doing here?"

"Are you trying to tell me no one's ever come knocking at your gate asking for your hand in marriage? Or do things work differently on Earth?"

"Marriage!? Yes, things work differently here. We don't just ask another person to marry them out of the blue. Plus, I'm only 16. I legally can't marry yet without my legal guardian's consent, anyway."

"Shame. Maybe you can come back to my dimension and live with me? We could get married, live in a nice big castle, raise 20 kids, it'll be amazing! Come on, what do ya say?"

Marco considered it. One of the most beautiful women he has ever seen just showed up at his door asking for him to run away to another world and start a new life. Though tempting there was one thought that popped into his head.

"And it doesn't bother you that I'm drastically younger than you?"

"No, not at all."

This was the opportunity of a lifetime. How could he just pass this up for no reason? But what about Star? She would be devastated to know that he had just ran away instead of waiting for her. But then there was something off about this whole ordeal. There was something Marco just didn't trust, and not because he didn't want to. Celeste seemed like someone he could really get to know well but there was something in the back of his mind warning him. He had a bad feeling about it.

"I'm not sure I can. I have... to finish my education first. Yeah, I can't leave without that."

"Well who am I to tread upon your wishes? How long is that supposed to take?"

"A few more years, maybe. Probably around 5 or 6."

"Ok, well, expect me to stop by every now and again. I'd love to spend some time with you if I can."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'm sure we'll be great friends."

That last part seemed to strike Celeste rather hard. She decided not to dwell on it, though, there was something she wanted to ask him.

"Back at the Blood Moon Ball, you said your name was Ubaldo but... it isn't. Any real reason for that?"

"I told you back then I was on a secret mission at the time. Of course, I was drunk when I said that and it was a stupid thing for me to do, but it's not like it matters now. You had actually called me that, first, and I went along with it. Ubaldo was my grandfather and I wanted to ask _you_ how you knew him exactly. I never really got a clear answer on that."

"Yeah Ubaldo is pretty famous back where I come from. He's a musician, in fact I think he was supposed to go on at the ball some time after you left. You looked a lot like him so I just figured."

"Musician? I mean, that sounds like him. He could play a mean acoustic with his band but he died years ago. 13 years, I think."

"Huh, funny. He got pretty famous about 13 years ago. Maybe there's a connection?"

"I guess. There's still a lot I don't understand about all this. I was only exposed to the slightest bit of dimensional travel for a few months."

Nothing else important was said for the rest of the night. They talked stories again just to remember how they had talked at the ball. They laughed and Marco had gotten them drinks. Nothing alcoholic, this time, just some juice. A few hours had gone by when Celeste said it was time for her to go. She got up, they hugged again, said their goodbyes, and she walked out the door. There was definitely something off about her, Marco could tell. There was no way she was serious about that whole marriage thing.

He should keep an eye out just in case.

* * *

With that little encounter out of the way Marco got back to experiencing time pass by in his Junior year. The days of November came to a close as winter passed by faster and faster. Nothing seemed to slow the steady march of time. Winter passed in to spring and Celeste showed up again. They went out for food and had a good time, she didn't even mention her offer from before. When the meeting was over they hugged and split ways again.

Word got around school that the quiet kid was dating a college student, obviously that was all wrong but it's not like Marco was going to say anything about it. He didn't really care what the other kids thought about him right now. He had his friends and his family and they all liked him. What would more admiration do for him?

Time went by and Celeste made it a monthly thing to visit. They always went somewhere different. When it was cold they'd go for hot chocolate, when the weather warmed up they'd go for a walk in the park or get lunch somewhere, when they felt the heat of summer just around the corner they went for ice cream. Marco always made it completely clear that it wasn't a date and that they weren't a thing yet, should they ever become one, and Celeste seemed to understand. They're meetings only interfered with his other friends once. They became a little skeptical that this woman was 'just a friend'.

School ended again and summer drew in on the back of the sun itself. This had to be one of the hottest summers Marco had ever felt, especially in California, but that wasn't going to keep Marco from heading to his friends' houses for the next few months. While he was there Celeste took it upon herself to make her own visits more frequent now that school had let out. One time she had decided to hang out with the rest of Marco's friends. Why not, right?

* * *

Both Ferguson's and Alfonso's mouths were gaping to the point where they might as well have ate a hole to China. Janna looked unimpressed with Celeste, almost like she was trying too hard. They sat at a park bench in the park that Celeste had met them at. Janna decided to speak on behalf of the two awe-struck boys.

"So, you're this friend Marco's been spending so much time with."

"Yep, that's me! And you must be Janna, Marco's said a lot about you three."

Janna let her eyes wander towards Marco in a glare. "Good things, I hope."

"Oh yeah, plenty of good things."

Marco decided to take over. "What? You think I'd tell her how much I hate the three of you and how much I wished we had never met?"

"Gee, Marco, that's a little excessive. And I thought _I_ was the sarcastic one."

"Heheh, yeah sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"Mmmhmmm... Marco, can I speak with you in private for a second?"

"Yeah sure, what's-" Janna grabbed his arms and tugged him out of earshot, leaving Celeste with the two gawking boys.

"Janna, you don't have to tug so hard, you know."

"Marco, who is that?"

"I told you, she's a friend."

"No, Marco, she's a girlfriend. Or at least she wants to be one real bad." Her voice dropped and she mumbled under her breath. "Thirsty hoe."

"Yeah, I know she wants me. She's already told me. Not sure I really trust her though, kinda why I'm keeping her at arm's length."

"Arm's length? Marco, you're going on dates with her regularly! That's not arm's length."

"No no, it's ok, we've established that they aren't dates and we aren't a couple. She understands."

Janna made that 'you've got to be kidding me' face. "Marco, that's not how this works. You're either dating this girl or you're not and right now it looks like you are."

"But we aren't."

"It doesn't matter! Do you want to date this girl or not? Because if you really don't then you need to treat her more like a friend and less like a girlfriend."

"I- well... ok I see your point. You're jealous."

"What!? Marco, that's ridiculous."

"Nah, I think you're just mad because I'm giving her more attention than the rest of you guys."

"You skipped on us one time 2 months ago. Why would we be annoyed about that?"

"I dunno, Janna, I'm not the jealous one."

" _I'm not jealous!_ Marco, get real for a second. Are you in love with her? I want a real answer."

"Uhhh..." He thought about it for a second. He knew he didn't love her, surprisingly enough. Sure she was _gorgeous_ but there was still that thing bugging him. "No. No, I don't"

"Well, then, speaking as a friend to a friend, don't act like you are. Now come on," She put her arm around his shoulder. "Let's get back over to the buffoons."

Marco laughed at this as they made their way back to the picnic table. Ferguson had gained the courage to speak again.

"How come Marco get's all the pretty ones?"

"Aw, you're adorable!" Celeste giggled at the complement. Marco and Janna separated as they sat down.

"Sorry about that, guys, just needed to talk to Marco about something I thought of earlier. Nothing special."

Celeste looked over to Janna. "Nothing special? You seemed pretty eager to pull him to the side."

Marco nudged Celeste with his elbow. "Come on, now. Don't get sus- Janna, where's my phone?"

Janna looked up from Marco's phone. "Dang, you're getting better at realizing."

* * *

Janna's words really did make an impact on Marco. He started to wonder if maybe he was getting too close to Celeste. This had to be one of the worst cases of leading a woman on that Janna had ever seen. She felt bad for Marco, sure, but she felt even worse for this Celeste character. Celeste was clearly into Marco... for some reason, and Marco didn't like her back. That's never a good thing.

Time resumed its normal course as summer came to a close Marco decided to tell Celeste about his feelings for her. It had been over 10 months now and Marco's feelings were only growing farther. Of course he had already made his feelings apparent to her but at this point it was almost necessary to say that it was never going to be a thing. She didn't take it the best. There were tears shed but, in the end, Celeste wasn't angry. They would still remain friends after this but Celeste's visits became a little less frequent. Marco was disappointed by this.

Senior year started and Marco was ready to start applying for colleges. He knew any college would want him, he already had a few smaller ones accept him right off the bat. It didn't matter to Marco, though, he wanted to stay local. Maybe Stanford? Yeah, pretty good college right in the state. It was a long drive but it's not like that mattered.

Stanford took a little while but, as expected, he was accepted. Senior year just wasn't anything spectacular after that. It seemed to drag by in a dreary blur. Celeste's visits were really the only interesting thing that happened in the next few months. They started to get him thinking. Celeste was visiting but from where exactly? He decided to ask her the next time she showed up. Celeste seemed a bit reluctant to answer. This only increased his suspicions but, as it turned out, she was just embarrassed about her place of origin. Apparently she came from a rather poor background. No more questions were asked after that.

Time went by, nothing special changed. Fall changed to winter. Winter changed to Spring. Spring brought something Marco hadn't thought about in forever. Prom.

Who was he supposed to take? Celeste? No, it was too late for her. He didn't even talk to Jackie anymore, since she's moved on. Maybe Janna? He ended up laughing over this. Janna? That was just silly. There was always one other option.

He checked the mirror. He had practically forgotten about Star. That realization only made him feel guilty but the feeling faded just a bit when he saw that there was still no messages on the mirror. He attempted another call just for the heck of it. Maybe she wasn't all that busy, it had been 3 and a half years at this point. No answer. Figures.

The idea of going alone was completely off the table and without friends to go with he started to think if it was really worth it.

* * *

Back in Echo Creek Janna was feeling the same way. With no boyfriend to ask out she wasn't sure if she wanted to go at all. Ferguson and Alfonso had already made it clear that they had other plans for the night and even if they didn't well… she liked the guys but they weren't exactly good lookers. Maybe Marco was willing to go… as friends?

She held her phone up to her ear after dialing the number. Her heart was racing. Maybe this was a bad idea. The ringing stopped as he picked up.

"Hey, Janna, what's up?"

"Hey, uh, Marco. I was just wondering if uh… You wanted to uh…"

"Wanted to… what? Wanna hang out or something?"

"Sorta, I was actually thinking more along the lines of…"

"Just you an' me? Sure, I don't see why not."

"No, Marco, just listen." She took a deep breath.

"Idon'thaveanyonetogotothepromwithandIwantedtoknowifmaybeyouwantedtogowithmeasfriendsorsomethingIdon'tknowthiswasastupidthingtoaskyou" She inhaled violently.

"...Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Wait, really?"

"I guess. I mean, we're just going as friends, right?"

"Right, just as friends. It's next Saturday at 7."

"Alright, I'll grab you around 6, then."

"Ok thanks bye!"

She hung up and dropped her phone. Did she really just do that?

* * *

Prom was actually a lot of fun for the both of them. Marco met up with a bunch of people he used to know and even a few he didn't remember whatsoever. The two of them danced for awhile but skipped on the slow dance. They both agreed it wasn't necessary since they were just going as friends.

The night ended without a problem and Marco dropped Janna back off at her house. They hugged goodbye and parted. Marco made the 2 hour trip back home.

Finally, prom was out of the way. Senior year was coming to a close and all Marco could do was look back on what had happened in his life. He met a crazy girl from another dimension, survived a monster attack, met Father Time, went to a royal ball, survived a house explosion, lost the girl and his parents, moved in with his uncle, was reunited with Celeste, went to prom with his friend… time was grinding along at its steady pace, refusing to slow down or speed up. A new stage in his life was slowly emerging out of the shadows of the future.

That summer Marco stayed with his uncle. He found it only fair that he spent time with the last of his blood family before going away. They spent the summer just hanging out and getting to know each other, getting Marco ready for college, and overall just doing family things.

"You sure you'll be ok with me leaving for so long?"

"Please, why wouldn't I be? I lived my entire adult life alone in this house, you spend your summers away back home, and you'll be here for the holidays anyway. What's there to be upset about?"

He was right, there was no reason to get upset.

The ride to Stanford was a long one made even longer from anticipation. A lot of it was spent in silence. They made it to the campus around noon and had Marco completely moved in by 1:30. When it was time to say goodbye Marco could tell Enrique was crying. Marco was the closest thing his uncle ever had to a child of his own, it was understandable that he would be worked up about seeing him off to college. The hug had lasted almost a full minute.

He watched the car pull off the campus and waved from his dorm building's front door. There was a voice behind him.

"Marco! I didn't know you applied here!"

The voice hugged him from behind to his surprise.

"Janna?! What are you doing here?"

"Going to school, stupid. Apparently with you."

* * *

 _ **Hot damn, another long chapter. They're honestly only gonna get longer from here, I think, so don't be surprised by this anymore. This chapter was entirely about Marco but the next one will be entirely about Star. I think that's fair.**_

 _ **Suggestions are slightly less recommended at the moment but still accepted. I'll get to them eventually, somehow. Maybe. I think.**_

 _ **Probably not.**_


	20. What Went Wrong

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Here is the last chapter before I go on my much needed revision hiatus. I have BIG plans for the story after this so I thought killing everyone with anticipation would be fun.**_

 _ **Did someone post reviews?**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: I knew you would. I knew everyone here would. Happy few days after Halloween!**_

 _ **IUcOzAdE: Oh don't worry, they'll be doing more than just going to the same college together. Thank you and I'll wait for you here.**_

 _ **MikeWeezy1323: Hey, welcome to the fic! Hope you enjoy your stay. I can relate in a way, I know what it's like to lose a whole group of friends to unfortunate circumstances. Star's chapter will be equal quality wise but definitely... different.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth (C.D.E): Super adorbs, I know. I accept the cookies and praises but you must find new blood to use. Yours is getting old an' shit. Your forgiveness will come when I get my in depth review! The time skip lord is displeased! Raaaagh! Anger! Loud noises! Flailing arms- shit, broke a vase... Dammit, that thing was nice, too.**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: Hot damn, you startled me there. Well, welcome back. First thing you did, huh? Wow, you have no idea how much that means to me. Thanks!**_

 _ **Let's see what Star was up to since she left...**_

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **What Went Wrong**

Though she was supposed to stay out of sight entirely it's impossible to stay out of the way when a war begins to ravage your home city. It wasn't hard at first, however. After Christmas all Star did was sit in her room and sleep or read or anything that would distract her from the mindless droning of the days passing on one by one. One by one. One by one. Anyone sentenced to a single room all their life, or a good portion of it, would understand what Star was going through. After finding out about what Star had done Christmas morning her parents had taken away Star's mirror privilege and searched her room for dimensional scissors. She had no way out now. She started training with her wand again with Glossaryck's help. He also helped out with some sage words of advice every now and again.

* * *

"Remember, Star, you need to really reach down deep and find your magical energy. It'll make your spells stronger."

"Personal hygiene is very important, you know. If your body is weak so will be your spells."

"It's not everyday you see a riot out in the streets. Looks like they're protesting the war again."

"Never assume an opponent is weaker or less intelligent than you just because of their appearance. This deception could lead to your demise."

"When will these stupid people understand that our forces are fighting to protect them?"

"No, Star, you have to really dip down. Dip dooooooooown."

"No pudding? Guess there'll be no training today."

"Feed me."

* * *

Understandably it got to be rather annoying for Star to handle Glossaryck, isolation, lack of connection with Marco, and a war threatening her people that she wasn't allowed to help with all at once. She needed a way to get out once in awhile, a way to stretch her legs and just relax. She needed to clear her head. It wasn't for a few Earth months that this escape came to help Star in her time of need. It came in the form of an old... 'friend'.

* * *

Star laid down on her bed, her wand rolled out of her hand and bounced on the floor. She let out a sigh of relief. Glossaryck went back down to hover over the spell book.

"You're doing great, Star. Get a bit of rest. We'll pick this back up tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever..."

The book closed encasing Glossaryck in the pages. As if on cue Star heard someone clear their throat. The sound came from her balcony door. She sat up and looked over towards the source of the noise.

It was Tom leaning on the wall beside the balcony.

"Hey there, beautiful."

"You have got to be kidding me..." She stood up and started stomping her way over to the demon boy.

Tom put his hands up protectively. "Wooooaaaah, come on, now. Too much? Ok, I'm sorry!"

She stopped in front of him and pointed an accusing finger at him. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, I heard that you were all cooped up in your room with nothing to do and I thought I'd take it upon myself to-"

"No. No no no, a thousand time no!"

"Wait, Star! Just hear me out a second."

"No, I'm not going on a date with you. We broke up, it's over, I'm done with you."

"But... we can still be friends, right?"

"I don't think so. You freak out over everything, you attacked me and Marco while we were _minding our own business in the backyard,_ and you attempted to kill Marco during the ball. And now you just wanna come up to my room and hang out?"

"Ok, I understand why you hate me but I've been thinking it over, I've gotten some help, and I genuinely want to try and make amends with you. I've done some really bad things in the past but I want you to know I'm sorry about all of it."

Star crossed her arms and thought it over for a second. "And you expect me to just believe you? I want proof."

"Give me the chance to prove it to you."

"How?"

"I can get you out of the castle for the night. We'll have a good time, maybe make a little mischief, nothing huge, and if I freak out or you don't have fun then I'll leave and I promise you I won't try again."

"Hhhmmmm... one chance." She uncrossed her arms. "You get _one_ chance. If a single thing goes wrong I will not hesitate to dump you on the guards and have them charge you for kidnapping."

"I can live with that."

"Now get out a minute, I need to change out of this stupid dress."

* * *

 **It's the dreaded return of the Time Skip! Watch your step, it makes a bit of a sub-spacial mess...**

* * *

They were beyond the castle walls. Star had put on a spare peasant's outfit her parents had given her should they need to flee the castle. Her hair was done up in a small bun with the excess hair hanging to one side. She still looked like the princess but in these late hours no one on Mewni was going to recognize her.

"I'll give you 3 hours. No more."

"That's all I need."

They walked down the cobble path of the market place. The capital city in Mewni was the second biggest in the entire kingdom and really was something you could get lost in if you aren't careful. Unfortunately you can also get stabbed for the same reason. Crime wasn't absolutely terrible in the capital but they weren't exactly known for being the most peaceful people. With any monarchy comes poverty and with poverty comes stealing, killing, mugging, raping, and plenty of other horrible crimes. One would do good to avoid the alleyways of the poorer district.

Tom led Star down the street and turned into one of these said alleyways. Star slowed her pace.

"Tom, where are you going? In dangerous around here. Didn't you hear the narrator."

"I know, I know, but there's a little something I wanted to show you..."

A little stairwell leading to a door ducked under the alley. It looked caked with dirt and grime. What could possibly go wrong here?

Tom went down the stairwell and slowly opened the door revealing a little club. Star's eyes lit up the second she saw it. It was the perfect place to waste time and money without the constant distraction of responsibilities. She saw poker tables in the center with some of Mewni's more wealthy gambling with criminals. To the left was a bar, something she was probably going to stay away from and not just because of the thuggish looking men and women drinking their lives away that could probably smash her face in. She could just make out a door in the back with a huge man in a suit standing in front of it, there was a line of people waiting to enter. Just to the right of this was the bathrooms, useful to know. Scattered about she could see small tables set up by some 'independent business owners'. Some had small cups with a single ball under one of them, there was a table with a couple of old playing cards, all of them had small crowds around them. On the far right was probably the reason Tom had found this place originally: ping pong tables. Ping pong had been one of the few things taken from Earth culture years and years ago. Tom was stupidly good at it.

"So? what do you think?"

It was difficult to talk over the noise, let alone think at all.

"How on Mewni did you manage to find a place like this?"

"I actually found it the night you dumped me, I found a man that said he could make me happy. I'll be damned if he wasn't telling the truth."

They spent hours here. They started off at one of the poker tables. Star managed to win them a small pile of cash to waste away at the con tables. They went to one of the tables with the largest crowd. Someone had just lost all their earnings when they approached. Tom struck up a deal, all or nothing, one try. They walked away with more than double their initial cash from the poker tables.

When Tom approached the ping pong tables everyone cowered in fear, understandably. Tom was the reigning champion here and had been for the last 2 years.

"Come on, we can grab an empty table and I can teach you a thing or two."

Star wasn't absolutely horrible at ping pong but she wasn't even close to being good. She even let herself get a bit frustrated at a few points. Star couldn't lie to herself, she was having some fun and Tom was staying more level headed than ever, even if there wasn't anything to aggravate him. They left the joint with time to grab a little bit of food on their way back to the castle.

"I gotta hand it to you, Tom, you did good. Not a single overreaction. I hate to say it but... I'm proud of you."

"I told you, I've been working on my temper."

They made it back to the castle undetected. Tom brought Star back up to her room.

"Can we do this again some time? Have I proven that I'm genuinely sorry?"

"...Yeah, I guess so. I _do_ really need to get out of here every now and again."

They said their goodbyes and Tom left out the balcony. When Star turned back to her room she saw Glossaryck hovering over the open spells book, arms crossed.

"You didn't see anything, got it?"

Glossaryck rubbed his middle and index fingers against his thumb.

"Fine, extra pudding for a week."

"A month."

"Deal."

* * *

These outings became a somewhat regular thing. Every few nights Tom would pick Star up and they went out for a night on the town. Star ended up learning a lot from the locals on exactly what was going on in the war. Even though the capitol wasn't the only city in the nation, let alone definitely not the largest, it had the highest conscription rate by far. There were quite a lot of citizens who were more than happy to pick up a sword or spear or bow or wand to help protect the city and dimension they loved. Others, however, weren't so keen on fighting the monsters. They were generally hated by the crowd for being monster sympathizers. These people thought that maybe it was best if they just helped the monsters mold into the Mewnian society and everything would be better. Everyone else said that they were monsters and that wasn't possible, which was followed, in turn, with a myriad of swears and curses if the initial statement was uttered by the average Mewman. From her own experience with monsters Star found it impossible to side with the sympathizers.

Time went on. I will be giving you what month it is relative to Earth Time. Star left Marco in Earth's December and started to hang out with Tom again starting in Earth's April. Exploring the city without destroying it entirely gave Star's life a new meaning other than just being cooped up in the castle. It was educational, after all, for a soon to be queen to stay up to date with her subjects' needs. With her constant bribes to Glossaryck Star managed to maintain the secrecy of her regular nightly outings. Her parents were never the wiser. Besides, she was making absolute bank.

Until, of course, there was news of her being back in the city. It had been nearly 2 years since Star had started to hang out with Tom. Marco would have been in his Junior year. Word got around that Star Butterfly had returned to Mewni. Some rejoiced, many were concerned. They were scared of the possibility of the potentially destructive princess given free reign of the city again. And since the King and Queen had been keeping this a secret many found it all the more suspicious. The King and Queen refused to acknowledge any questions or comments on the matter.

Star knew she hadn't been seen out on the streets. After her first night out she had realized her mistake of not using her Radiant Shadow transformation and never left the castle without first casting that spell. Illusion spells were generally easier on the energy to cast. There was no way someone had recognized her, and if someone did that first night they certainly wouldn't have brought it up 2 years later. She tried to explain this to her rather curious parents when she was confronted about it but they weren't too keen to believe this right away. They needed more proof.

Mewni had already grown more and more torn over those two years. Nearly 50% of the population of the entire kingdom became sympathizers believing it was the only way to end the war while the other 50% wanted to personally kill Ludo himself for the current death toll of the war. Propaganda flyers and posters and notices were burned in the streets from both sides. Many times things got violent. It was now three times as dangerous to wander the streets of the capital than it had been 2 years ago. Thankfully, Star and Tom had managed to make some 'friends' in the city. Friends with connection, money, and influence. Both of their skills in magic, gambling, swindling, and ping pong had earned them a place in the hearts of many highly reputable mob bosses, gangsters, and general scum of the city. This night life Star was leading excited and scared her at the same time. She hoped her ties in the city may become useful one day.

The war was completely torn. Advances never seemed to last long on either side. Every time Mewnian forces, led by the famous General Mina Loveberry, got farther into the Wastelands Ludo's forces, led by the infamous General Buff Frog, would push another section back closer towards Mewni. Then it would reverse and each advancement was made pointless. It had become a simple game of tug-of-war, who could out maneuver who, which side sent stronger forces. Though Mewnian forces had been trained much more thoroughly Ludo's forces had the advantage of variety. There was a larger selection of monsters to pick from, some naturally huge and muscular, other small and nimble. They all had their advantages no matter how under trained. While Mewnian forces fought with their tactics of traditional warfare with their ranks and files and flanks Ludo's forces fought nasty with guerrilla warfare. They knew their lands well and could maneuver through the dense forests and swamps with ease. In a sense, most of this war could be compared to Earth's American Revolution. The only difference was there just didn't seem to be a clear victor. Deaths had started to pile up on either side, families had become smaller, and lives were ruined.

Time went on. The tides of war were unchanging for a very long time. A few months went by, summer time on Earth, and the civil unrest over Star's apparent presence in Mewni had died a bit due to her lack of actual appearance. A few more months, Earth's winter, and the focus had returned to the war entirely. It seemed everyone had forgotten about Star. That was fine by her, she had a disguise to keep up. It was around March when another Mewman soul had personally seen Star's presence other than her parents, guards, and Tom. She revealed herself to a certain woman she had met in an old abandoned warehouse run by one of her contacts. She had seen this woman once before years ago. The woman promised to keep the secret and was surprisingly good at it. Another couple months, late August after Marco's senior year in Earth Time, and Star needed to smuggle the woman into the castle to help with a little project. The little project was never completed. It was cut short and interrupted by a disaster.

* * *

"And you're sure your parents wont see me?"

"You kidding? As long as I give Glossy all the pudding he wants no one is ever going to know you were here. He's kept my secret safe for over 2 years. I think you'll be fine."

"Good, because there's no way the King and Queen aren't going to notice this after I've left."

"True. Ok, the closet with everything you need is over there I'll head to my station. If you need me you know your private link spell."

"Of course, now hurry up. We have work to do."

Both girls separated. Star ran down the halls of the castle adorned in her usual royal gown. She made her way down past the kitchens, the royal tailor's room, and the throne room. Down one more flight of stairs and she found her own closet. She opened it up and rummaged around in its contents. She grabbed her desired materials, stuffed them into the ruffles of her dress, and started her trek towards the back entrance. The warnicorn stables had some supplies she was going to need. Just to make sure her accomplice was doing ok she cast her private link spell. She whispered into the air around her.

"Hey, you ok? You all set up?"

No answer.

"Hey, I said are you set up? Report."

Still no answer. Star swore to herself but went on with her little mission. There was no point in stopping now. Though the castle was big, the acoustics were something wonderful. She could hear a servant screaming 2 floors above her. She stopped cold. Why was there screaming? What was going on? It took a second before star convinced herself to go off course. She turned on her heels and started heading towards the nearest staircase. By the time she had made it up one floor the entire castle was in full upheaval. Guards and maids were running all over the place. It was pure chaos. She stopped one of the guards.

"Alvise! What's going on?! Why are we going into lock-down?"

"Princess Star! You need to get to your quarters and out of harm's way! There's an assassin on the loose in the castle that just... killed the king and queen."

"What...? Dead...?"

"I'm so sorry princess. I didn't want to be the one that told you."

It was so sudden, Star lost her footing and fell backwards in shock. The guard barely managed to catch her in time before the princess had passed out. The rest of the guards swept the entire castle looking for the culprit but it was too late.

Celeste was already long gone.

* * *

Star was in a total state of panic. She had made a terrible slip, one that cost her parents their lives. This was all her fault. There was no way they could win the war without an active monarch. Kingdom law stated that Star would have to take up the mantle as Queen effective immediately. She wasn't ready for this kind of responsibility, she was only 18 and still too young at heart. This was all her fault. How was she supposed to run an entire kingdom alone, and during a wartime? There was no way, she needed help. Tom might be able to help her from afar but because he was the prince to another kingdom he would need to marry Star to get formally involved. He was personally ok this that, Star definitely wasn't. No matter how long the two hung out and, eventually, had worked together she would never regain her feelings for that demon. Those were reserved for Marco.

Marco, maybe she could get a hold of him. If only she could find that blasted mirror. The one her parents confiscated was the last mirror with the number to the mirror they had left with Marco.

This was all her fault.

She caught herself bursting into tears at random moments. Even after the royal funeral Star couldn't get over the fact that they were dead. No matter what hardships her parents put her through, even after sending her to live in another dimension, she had never stopped loving them as her parents. They had left so suddenly and without a proper goodbye. This was all her fault. Star found that she couldn't stop crying at times. She needed her friend back now. She needed Marco now.

This was all her fault.

It had taken a few days but she found a few things down in the basement of the castle which was used as both the storage and the dungeons. In the storage section, under a white tarp, was the mirror she had been looking for. In the dungeons she had found two people she hadn't seen in forever.

Their cell wasn't a cell at all. It was more of a lavishly furnished apartment. Much nicer then their old home on Earth. They had meals brought to them regularly and everything.

Star was more than overjoyed to find two people she could hug again, and Marco's parents weren't about to pass up a hug from their last foreign exchange student.

Star turned back to the mirror. Now was not the time for this. She needed to fix what she had done before the entire kingdom was thrown into despair. She needed to get in contact with Marco.

This was all her fault.

And she was going to fix it.

* * *

 _ **Boom, Star's solo chapter done. It ended up being less about Star's affairs in Mewni and more about the war itself. Ah well, I think it's nice.**_

 _ **And now for my stupid hiatus. Don't expect a chapter for, oh I dunno, maybe a week or so. I'm gonna reread and clean up everything I've written so far because I'm a lazy ass head.**_

 _ **Until next time guys!**_


	21. Mirror, Mirror

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. You guys see the 4 new episodes that came out since I went on that stupid hiatus? Holy crap that was so coooooooool! But it's about time I got back to the story. In my absence I've actually come up with a few new story ideas after this one is done. Don't wanna give any away now but it'll be good. Promise.**_

 _ **Holy crap that's a lot of reviews...**_

 _ **MikeWeezy1323: 1) The monarchy isn't gone entirely. You can't just remove an entire system of government by killing two people, it's gonna take more than that. 2) This entire story is just a bag-o-dicks and that's why we all love it.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: 1) Holy shit indeed. 2) I don't care. 3) No. 4) Nah, I'm good. 5) Nah.**_

 _ **DonDonatek: I've been really working on fleshing out this plot as much as I can, dropping little plot points here and there for people to pick up. Star thought her parents' death was her fault for good reason, after all it was her that brought the assassin *cough* Celeste *cough* into the castle in the first place.**_

 _ **IUcOzAdE: 1) Oh she's gonna do more than just make contact with Marco *completely not an obvious wink* 2) Aaaayyyy you saw that!**_

 _ **ChelJosh: (ch19) I thought it fitted pretty well, too. I have not heard of that fic, I'ma look it up right now! Don't feel too bad for Celeste, I think you know why now. I really wanted to give Janna a bit of a bigger role in this story but I got away from her for a little bit. Rip. That wasn't a long review, at least not for me. Don't worry about review length, and I'm glad you could find some internets.  
(ch20) I dunno, pudding would be pretty nice right about now. Great, now you got me craving pudding. Thanks a lot. Here's your update. I'ma go get some pudding...**_

 _ **PIE1999: Yeet**_

 _ **jjmmmmmlol: 1) NO PUNS! *smites* 2) I could barely make out a word of that review, either English isn't your first language or you don't know how a keyboard works. Anyway, I will not limit my time skips. If the time space continuum breaks that's its fault, not mine. I believe you meant to say adieu but hey, what do I know? I don't know Scandinavian. P.s. Here's me writing. Hope you're happy. And yes, my day has been semi-shitty. P.p.s. Yeah, sure, you did it right.**_

 _ **kinglan10: 1) Hey hey, welcome to the fic! I can understand your trouble with the 'general level of crap on ff'. Slow down the romance?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH no. I really need to change that description, don't I? Yeah, I should do that. About the cheek spots I uh... may have taken some creative liberties to fit the story better. In all honesty I just completely overlooked that. And now with**_ **Into The Wand** ** _we've seen MUCH more about them cheek spots. I do love my author's notes. Yes I do. 2) I accept your sacrifice._**

 ** _Leo: Thanks, I really tried to tie him back with his more mexican heritage later in the fic but I'm proud of what I did with him in chapter 2._**

 ** _Li'l Sleuth: Ah yes, more cookies. Splendid! The obvious Starco was my pleasure. No one here has nukes, and none of them will ever have nukes. They have magic and spears. Thas abou' it. The project isn't honestly all that important and probably won't come up again. AND I WILL BRING TOM INTO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT. 2) Again. No. 3) No. 4) Yeah, I'm a monster. I know._**

 ** _56 000: Ya better believe them time skips are the very best. Like no one ever was._**

 ** _Guest: We all hate hiatuses. And getting here late is never a problem._**

 ** _I'mChokingOnAnOlive: yeah, I guess I did do all that. Wow..._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Oh, wow, sorry to here that. Glad I could be of some help._**

 ** _MightyMangoes666: Yep, not the first time I've been told that._**

 ** _And that brings me up to a total of over 10,700 views. Hot dog, that's pretty neat-o. Story Time!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **Mirror, Mirror**

"Ok... and what exactly _is_ a derivative?"

"In common terms, it really just turns out to be an equation used to graph the slope of another function."

"Dude, you're speaking another language."

"No, I'm speaking calculus."

"Oh my god, stop!"

Marco laughed at Janna's outcries. They had been studying for their upcoming math test in Janna's dorm. She definitely wasn't the smartest person on campus but at least she put in the effort. Marco almost felt bad for thinking it but after seeing her academic history he was actually surprised to see her get into a college like Stanford. Oh well, at least he had a friend to talk to here. His roommate wasn't much for getting to know Marco, not like he was ever around to do that anyway. The guy was always off partying or something. Marco doesn't even remember his name.

"AAAUUUUGH I'm gonna fail this test!"

"What? No, you won't. You have the greatest study partner in the school."

"And the greatest boyfriend, too."

"Well, I dunno about that."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, man. You're doing fine."

"I'm not 'selling myself short'! I'm being honest."

It was true, though, Marco felt like he hadn't been very committed in his relationship with Janna. It had only been a month, though, so there was still plenty of time to grow. Marco knew there was something holding him back, though, and he knew exactly what it was. He clutched at the necklace beneath his shirt. The fact that Star could call and show up at any time still held a firm grip on his mind.

Janna, on the other hand, was still reminiscing about how Marco had said 'Yes'.

* * *

Marco picked up his cell phone and immediately answered it when he saw it was Janna.

"Hey, Janna, what's up?"

"Hey, Marco, you hear about that new Doctor Strange movie that just came out?"

"Oh yeah, I've been dying to see it."

"Well I got two tickets, you wanna go? It's tonight."

Marco looked down at the essay he had been writing.

"Yeah sure, totally."

"Great! It's at 7, I'll meet you outside your dorm."

"Alright see ya then."

* * *

 **Wooooaaaah this time skip is all twirly and trippy and just woah...**

* * *

The two friends walked out of the theater.

"Oh man, and that last battle scene!"

"That was so fricken trippy. I thought my eyes were gonna pop out of my head."

"Hahahaha..." Her voice trailed a little. "We should do this more often."

"What, hang out? I know, I feel like we have so much lost time to catch up on."

"No, not just hang out. I mean, like, _go_ out."

"Janna, come on, that's ridiculous."

"Is it, though? We've known each other for forever, we're both single pringles." Marco chuckled at that. "What's so wrong about us dating?"

"Well... you got me there. Alright, sure. We'll make 'us' a thing."

Janna did a mental fist pump. ' _Finally!'_

* * *

After that there was a month of regular dating. Every Saturday and Tuesday, to be exact. Janna could tell Marco wasn't putting his heart and soul into the relationship but she didn't really mind. She never wanted a super in depth relationship to begin with, just someone to be there for her. She sat on the bed and looked over at Marco.

"So, what d'ya wanna do tomorrow night?"

"Well, I've got a bit of money saved up, I was thinking about hitting that fancy restaurant downtown."

"You mean the one with those amazing steaks?"

"Yeah, I thought we could do something special for the one month mark."

"Aw, sweet! I've always wanted to go there."

* * *

Star stood in front of the old and dusty mirror in the basement, Marco's parents right behind her.

"This has to be it. This is the mirror that I can use to contact Marco."

Mrs. Diaz squealed in delight. "Oh, we're gonna see our little boy again!"

Star turned the mirror on to see that there was a few missed calls, all from the same number. "Huh... I expected more. Mirror, call Star."

"Calling: Star"

The mirror rang and rang but no one answered. "Wow, ok, call again."

"Calling: Star"

Same thing. "Guess I'll just leave a message..." The little red light appeared on the top of the mirror to signify that the recording had started.

"Marco! Please call me back, I need you! Some... things are going on here and I need you here for a little while. Just call me back ASAP!"

When the message was sent she turned back to the other two.

"Wanna help me bring this upstairs?"

"Of course."

* * *

 **Time goes by and with it comes the almighty time skip. Prime for your worshiping pleasure.**

* * *

Marco unlocked his door and walked in to a pitch black and empty dorm room. It was late by the time Janna had finally given up on studying so Marco decided to turn in for the night. He flopped down onto his bed and shut his eyes. He hadn't even noticed the little flashing red light on the mirror he had hung on his wall. He just wanted to get some sleep before what's-his-face got back. That guy never knew the meaning of common decency.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep that night. And in the morning, after he woke up and realized he had slept through his alarm, he had to rush to get out the door. His eye just happened to catch sight of the mirror as he left. He froze for a second but shook his head.

 _'I'll check it after class.'_

He could barely focus in class, though. The thought that a call had finally come through on the mirror both excited and worried him. It must have come through while he was studying with Janna. It had to be Star calling, who else could it have been? His mind started racing at what she could have called about.

'Hey, Marco, I'm free to do whatever finally and I wanna come back to Earth and I dunno maybe date you or something. I still haven't gotten over you.'

Marco had to laugh at his own thoughts, that definitely sounded like something Star would say. But how would he tell her about Janna? He was going to have to break the news to Star somehow and he knew she wasn't going to like it. Maybe she should tell Janna first. They had their last class that day together so he'll take care of it then.

* * *

 **I do love me a good time skip. And this one looks rather suitable.**

* * *

Marco pulled Janna to the side after their last class had ended.

"Janna, listen, Star's back."

"What? What do you mean, back?"

"I think she called the mirror last night while we were studying. I saw it this morning but I couldn't check it, I was almost late for class."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go answer it!"

They ran back to Marco's dorm side by side. Marco could feel his heart thumping inside his chest, longing for the chance to finally talk to Star again. The dorm was still empty, of course. The roommate was never there. Marco went up to the mirror.

"Mirror, play back the message."

"Playing: message"

Star came on the screen, her cheeks were still damp and he could tell she was crying. There were two people standing behind her but they were blocked by Star's body.

'Marco! Please call me back, I need you! Some... things are going on here and I need you here for a little while. Just call me back ASAP!'

The message ended. "Well, definitely not what I was expecting."

Janna put her hand on Marco's shoulder. "Call her back, don't keep her waiting."

Marco nodded. "Mirror, call Star."

"Calling: Star"

She picked up on the first ring, as if she had been waiting for the call.

"Marco! Oh my god, Marco, thank you so so much for calling back." She was talking unusually fast, even for herself.

"Star! Calm down, what's going on. We haven't spoken in years and when I finally get a call back you're going off about something happening. What happened?"

"It was... *sigh* I really didn't want to have to talk about it."

"Star, c'mon, what's the matter? You know you can tell me."

"My parents. They're... they're dead." She looked away from the screen.

"What!? How? Who did it?"

"Do you remember that woman you met at the Blood Moon Ball?"

Marco's face dropped. "Celeste... No, there's no way it was her."

"It was and it may have been my fault. I brought her into the castle, I gave her the chance."

Janna decided to jump in the conversation since Star hadn't seemed to notice her yet. "Wait, so, your parents were assassinated?"

"Wha-? Oh, Janna! You're here, too?"

"Yeah, Marco told me you had called and I didn't wanna miss this."

"Oh, thanks. And yes... they were assassinated. And that's not even the worst part."

Marco looked worried. "Oh no, that doesn't sound good."

"I... well, since my parents are... gone the council says that I have to take the throne."

"That's great, Star! You'll finally be the queen."

"And, uh... I need a..."

"A what?"

"I need a king..."

* * *

 **Here's a nice short time skip for all ya lovelies.**

* * *

"What am I supposed to do!?"

"Woah, Marco, calm down. It's fine, really."

"Janna, I can't be a king. I haven't even finished school yet!"

"But do you need to? You're probably already smarter than the entire dimension. They could use a ruler like you."

"But I'm not ready for that kind of commitment! I mean, us dating is one thing, but being a freaking king? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Oh c'mon now, you'll do fine. If you don't figure it out yourself I'm they have, like, advisers or something. And you'll be with Star, she'll know what to do."

"And what about you? How am I supposed to tell her about the two of us?"

"Marco, I know our relationship isn't all that much. It was never going to be, I just thought we could be a thing for a little while since, well, we were both rather alone here."

"What? Janna, I didn't know you felt that way."

"Eh, it's whatever."

"No, it's not just 'whatever'. What am I gonna do with you? I can't just leave you behind if I were to leave for Mewni."

"Please, I know how to handle myself. And who said anything about you leaving me behind?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, just think it over. Take the night off, we'll cancel the date so you can get some rest. You don't have any class tomorrow so call Star back then."

"Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Janna."

"Anytime, ya dork."

She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and walked out. "See ya tomorrow."

Marco rubbed his cheek. "Yeah..."

* * *

Star sat on her bed with her head tucked into her knees. After Marco had hung up she felt like she was going to puke up her stomach. Why did she even bring up the thing about needing a king? She felt like an idiot, of course he isn't going to say yes after that, why would he? Maybe she shouldn't have even bothered with him.

Glossaryck floated over towards Star and placed a tiny, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Shhhhh, there there. It's fine, Star."

"No it isn't!" She raised her head up. "What am I supposed to do!? Marco's never gonna say yes now."

"You don't know that, Star. Marco will say yes, I just know it. And so do you."

"No he won't, after what I said he probably thinks I'm just looking for a way to get with him again. He's not gonna come, the counsel will find someone for me to marry, and I'll never see him again!"

"You're worrying too much, you know he loves you and as a friend at the very least. He'd come running to help you in an instant. Need I remind you of a certain glimmer of hope? A rather _red_ glimmer of hope?"

Star stopped talking and attempted to quiet her sniffles.

"The Blood Moon knows what it wants, my dear."

Star looked Glossaryck in the eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"The two of you were chosen. There is no way for him to say no even if he wanted to. Time will take its course and lead the two of you together. You just need to trust Time."

"So... you know this for sure?"

"Without a single doubt in my mind. The two of you were chosen to be together and the universe always gets what it wants."

"Thanks, Glossy. I don't know what I'd do without you right now."

* * *

 **These time skip lines aren't easy to write, y'know. Maybe I could enlist the help of some of my followers...**

* * *

Marco woke in the morning with energy reinvigorated. He had a goal in mind and for once he was going to go after it. He almost jumped straight for the mirror but saw his own reflection in it and remembered that bed head was no way to greet the Queen of Mewni. He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes, complete with signature red hoodie, all in the span of 4 minutes. Almost a new record but not quite.

Should he tell Janna that he was going to do it? That he was going to say yes? Maybe she would want to be here to say goodbye when he left. He called his girlfriend up and she was there in no time at all. Everything just seemed to be moving faster today. They positioned themselves in front of the mirror and put on some flashy grins.

"Mirror. Call Star."

"Calling: Star"

The mirror rang a few times before Star picked up. She looked like she hadn't slept at all the night previous. Though Star was clearly tired, as demonstrated by her slurred words, she opened up the conversation.

"Marco! Janna! I dinn't espect a call back suh soon." She let out a little yawn.

"Well I just couldn't wait to tell you that I've agreed to come to Mewni with you."

"Wha'? Really?!"

"Yep, just tell me what I need and I'll be ready in no time."

"No time is righ'. You don need tah bring anything other than *yawn* the clothes on yur bahck. We can get yew settled in here."

"Wow, not at all what I was expecting. Alright, when am I leaving?"

"Gimme an hour to wake up and ah'll come get you myself."

"Ok, then, I'll be waiting here for you."

Star hung up with a wave and another yawn. Janna grabbed Marco's shoulders and spun him to face her.

"Dude, you did it! You're gonna be a king!"

"Hey, don't spoil this for me yet. The full realization hasn't really sunk in yet."

* * *

 **This is an explosive time skip! It's detonation is set for 3... 2... 1... ... huh. Guess I misplaced the explosive ones.**

* * *

It only took an hour and a half for a portal to open in Marco's room. The only thought that could possibly have run through Marco's mind when she stepped through was:

 _'Holy shit...'_

She was absolutely stunning in her royal gown. Her face had been refined, almost polished, to the point where her smile could actually shine. Her light blue eyes only seemed deeper than when they had last parted, though he didn't want to think about that time. Her slender body was older, more mature, than it had looked on the mirror. And though her hair was completely untouched and in the same style it was always in those flowing golden locks looked as though Marco could use them for a blanket. It was like the traces of how tired she was had vanished all together. Star caught him staring and cracked a smile. Janna watched the two of them just standing there, staring at each other, and gave Marco a little shove. He stumbled over to the Queen who immediately latched him in the biggest hug she had ever given.

"Marco, I'm so so happy to see you!"

Marco let his own arms wrap around her. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."

They spent such a long time in this embrace that Janna had to bring them back to consciousness by clearing her throat. "Isn't there some official business you two have to get to?"

Star broke the hug. "That's right! We need to get you to Mewni and show my advisers that I don't need them to give me a husband. C'mon, Marco, in you go!" She started to push him through the portal. Marco passed the threshold before he could protest at all.

Janna came up behind Star and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, can I talk to you a second?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

* * *

 **Oooooooh, there's those explosive ti-**

* * *

Marco looked around the other side of the portal. So this was Mewni? The real part of it, anyway. He had only been to this world once before and that was only to go to the wastelands. He saw the monstrous castle looming up above him as he stepped through the courtyard. It wasn't until the two girls walked through the portal that he was aware they weren't behind him.

"And you're sure you're completely cool with this?"

"Janna, I told you, I understand entirely."

The two walked up to Marco, who was still aimlessly looking around.

"Pretty cool, huh? Well guess who's gonna be living in that for who knows how long."

Star grabbed Marco's wrist. "C'mon, we've wasted too much time already. We need to get you settled in."

They ran towards the castle entrance, Janna in tow. Marco could do nothing but marvel at the situation he was in.

It was time to make up for lost time.

* * *

 ** _My spotify playlist officially reached 666 songs with the addition of some Tenacious D. Praised be the D!_**

 ** _On a more serious note, I'm really happy with the length of this chapter and the general plot I put in. As for the quality: it was a tiny bit lower than it should have been and is now completely unbelievable in all senses of the word. Ah well, maybe I'm just being critical of myself. I should get around to that coconut suggestion eventually..._**

 ** _There is still so much story to come and it will all happen in relation to this blasted war that is ravaging our blessed Mewni. Let's see what this devilishly handsome author has in store for this, hm?_**

 ** _(and yes, Marco's absence will be noticed.)_**


	22. Super Nova

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Kinda late on this chapter, I got busy, like, a lot. Not gonna tell you about it though because that's boring and shit and not what you came here for. There's certain little details I'm trying to work out now that will lead the story to the ending I want but it's getting significantly harder as the story is drawing nearer to the end. I estimate maybe 5 more chapters.**_

 _ **But reviews are still a thing~**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: Uh... ok? Sure, I'll use that.**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: Unfortunately it is against my own rules to time skip a physical person outside the bounds of a story so no, can't do that. That pokemon reference was just for you (not really though but feel special about it anyway). And writing this fic gives ME a reason not to die- hey, wait, were'd my Lugia go?**_

 _ **Thebeard92: Bruh, Starfall was so fucking good, you can't compare me to a god like Mike. That just isn't possible. P.s. his story's still going on, last chapter should be coming out one of these days. Much excite.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: Who said I did that? I called myself devilishly handsome before and no one thought I was a guy for that. Not to mention the fact that women can be handsome. You got no proof. #debunked. Still, though, thanks for your kind words. I've been putting a lot of effort into this story, more than I honestly should at this point, and it's really been paying off. Concubines may or may not be a thing in Mewni. Janna will be happy in the end. Promise.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: What? I proof read it! I swear, I did! Whatchu talkin' 'bout ya butt-munch? Had to tie the BMB into it somehow. That non-crazed cultist look suits you, not gonna lie.**_

 _ **Done and done, let's get into that story!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

 **Super Nova**

Star and Marco were in Star's room at the time. She was getting the soon-to-be-king set up in some new garments. The royal suit matched Star's dress in color, shining in the same hue of light blue. Marco thought the shoulder tassels were a bit much but who was he to argue? Janna stood off to the side and snickered as she watched him get dressed in such a silly outfit.

"You look like a dork."

"And you look like a... shut up."

"Wow, amazing. Come backs were never your thing."

Star finished buttoning his royal jacket and stood up straight. "There, all done. You're all ready for the coronation."

"Star, I've been thinking, wouldn't I need to know the history of Mewni if I'm supposed to be the king?"

"Pffft, nah. You think my dad was ever a huge history nut? In Mewni the King is really just a figurehead at the most. You just have to sit by my side and look pretty."

Janna snickered. "He's got that second part down."

Marco blushed a light pink. "Janna!"

"Hahaha, whaaaat?"

Marco let out a small sigh. "So, hold on, why do you have to have a king if the king doesn't even do anything."

Star smiled sweetly at him. "Well, it's half a personal choice of mine and half that the people need their sense of hope. If I didn't get you as my king then my advisers would have appointed me one and I don't wanna marry someone I don't even know, obviously."

"Ok, but why do you need a king at all?"

"Well, that's because the people want an heir. Even if the king doesn't do anything diplomatically they need someone to carry on the royal lineage of magic. And they're REALLY excited about the fact that I found someone. The city has been in complete anarchy ever since my parents... passed."

"So I'm here to make a child."

"Basically."

"Star, I can't do that, I'm not ready for something like this!"

"It's ok, that comes way later down the road. Now come on, let's not keep the others waiting. You coming, Janna?"

"Nah, I'll wait here. Maybe talk to Glossaryck. We got some catching up to do."

"O... k? You do that." Star grabbed Marco's wrist and, with a huge jolt of energy, rushed out the door.

* * *

 **TIMESKIPTIMESKIPTIMESKIPTIMESKIPtiiiiiiimmeskiiiippppTIMESKIPTIMESKIPTIMESKIP! *looks down at script* Whose idea was this!?**

* * *

Star and Marco ran up to a set of rather large double doors. They stopped.

"They want to speak with you alone."

"You aren't coming in with me?"

"Whassa matter, you gonna get nervous? I'll be right out here when you're done."

"Alright, wish me luck." Marco pushed through the two heavy doors.

He looked around at the room on the other side: tall, domed ceiling, pillars cut from marble lining the walls, and a large wooden table in the center surrounded by not only chairs but 12 other people as well. One of them perked up as she saw Marco head through the doors. She was an older woman, easily at least 60.

"Ah! This must be our future king now. Please, step up to the table."

Marco did as he was asked and took a seat. "So how's this all gonna happen? This gonna be a long trial or interview or whatever?"

"Patience, child, do not rush into this. Let me introduce myself. I am the head chairwoman of this group of advisers, Samara Talstein." She began to list the other members of the group one by one, to each Marco offered a nod. After the introductions had finished Samara looked Marco directly in the eyes.

"Boy, I want to be very clear with you, everyone here already knows who you are."

"What? But h-"

"Patience, all will be revealed in a matter of minutes. I'm sure you remember what happened at the Blood Moon Ball a few years ago. You and the queen danced beneath the ruby lights of the famous Blood Moon, the two of you were bonded eternally. If you don't know what that means then let me explain. Because the light caught you two in its eye your souls were meshed together. You have a special connection to the queen that only one couple every 6 centuries ever has. In Earth years it's actually closer to about 400 or so but even still, the fact that this is a very special event isn't hard to grasp. You and Star are meant to be together."

Marco once more fingered the outline of the necklace beneath his shirt. Meant to be together, maybe this is what a soulmate actually was.

"Do you know who the last person to be bonded by the Blood Moon was?"

"No, I can't say I do."

"Queen Nova Butterfly of Mewni. The Blood Moon Ball is open to all sophisticated dimensions that have the technological advancements possible for dimensional travel. That's a lot of people all sending there most noble to the ball and Mewni managed to snag the light twice. That's mathematically improbable in any case. You really are a lucky man."

"Wait, Queen Nova? I've heard of her before..." Marco started to rack his brain for whatever memory he was thinking of. The sight of a tall, buff, light blue man came into mind after a few seconds. He had told Marco not to let Star turn out like Nova.

"Yes, Queen Nova. You've been told of her, have you not?"

"I... have, yes. I was told that Star can't end up like her."

"Yes, that's why we wanted to talk to you about this alone, without Her Majesty in the room. Father Time told you a bit about her, yes?"

"Yeah, said she was really big on destroying all the monsters and claiming the land for herself."

"She sounds like a really unforgiving person, yes? She was not a terrible woman, though. She, too, knew compassion. She knew how to love and how to receive it, and her husband, Orson, is all the proof needed to see it. They, too, were touched by the light of the Blood Moon."

"And what exactly does thi-"

"Patience! Wow, you really need to learn some patience, I swear. Can't you ever just let me explain this stuff?" Samara took a calming breath. "Anyway, let me begin my story."

* * *

 _The Mewman race, as you should know by now, is not from this dimension originally. We actually came from the world of Harmond before the population of that dimension had become rather vast. The monarchy of the time, ruled by the Dragonfly family, saw that it was time to expand their borders. The best way to do that was to send a legion of warriors led by one of their top generals into a new, un-mapped land. That general was Lady Nova of the Butterfly house. Nova was what many men called beautiful, traces of her physical appearance still linger in the Butterfly line to this day._

 _She had many suitors, many men who wanted to marry into nobility or to keep their family's noble title alive. Her parents made her attend to each one of these suitors, though there was only one man she had ever truly cared for. Orson was an old childhood friend of Nova's and wasn't one to let such a good friendship fade. The two knew that, since Nova's parents actually hated Orson's, the only way the two would be able to get married was the famed Blood Moon Ball. Nothing was more sacred in their society than such a bond as the Blood Moon's._

 _Nova was ecstatic when she heard that she was the selected representative for the Ball. She managed to sneak Orson in with her, against the wishes of her parents for obvious reasons, and when the time came for the Blood Moon to choose a couple the red light shone down on the two lovers._

"Orson!" Nova whispered excitedly to her dance partner. "Orson, it's happening!"

"I know, my dear, the time has finally come. We truly were meant for each other, weren't we?"

Nova placed her head on the man's chest as they danced. "It's final, we can be together at last."

 _Her parents, clearly, were furious that something like this could happen to their daughter but were hard-pressed by the rest of the kingdom to allow their marriage. The two were in love like no one could describe. When the time came for Nova to conquer new territory she refused to go without taking her husband along._

 _You know by now how Nova took the planet of Mewni for her people from the monsters of this land by sheer force. Orson wasn't very fond of taking this planet away from its rightful owners. He often pleaded with Nova to changer her mind on this planet, that there were others out there that were uninhabited but Nova was simply glued to this planet. It had the perfect resources, climate, area, and abundance of food. She'd be damned if she was going to let a few monsters get in her way._

"It isn't right, Nova! These creatures are defenseless and weak, we can't just kill them off like this! It's ruthless, it's cruel!"

"It's necessary in the course of Mewman consumption. I have a job to do and I'm not about to let a few degenerates get in the way of our conquest!"

"I understand that this is a very important planet, it's perfect in your eyes, but why must we push these things away from us? What if we let them live among us, teach them our ways, assimilate them into our culture?"

"I'm not about to have a bunch of low down, filthy, disgusting creatures in my land interbreeding with my people and destroying my commonwealth!"

 _There was no convincing her, Nova's mind was set. Troops were sent out to scare away any monsters from the most fertile land and to kill any that refused to leave. It was a slaughter, so many monsters died. The more Nova fought the monsters the more Orson fought her over the matter. One fight escalated to something much more than just a verbal assault. The words became physical, their bodies became involved, and it was Nova's hands that were soaked in blood when the night had ended._

Nova looked down at her blood-stained hands. She was shaking, her vision became blurry. She kneeled above Orson, who was currently in the process of bleeding out, and let her hands slowly fall to the dagger protruding from his stomach.

"Orson... Orson, please. Say something!"

The man could only let out heavy, ragged breathing.

"Orson!"

His eyes looked heavy, eyes distant. He coughed up a bit of blood.

"Nova..."

"Orson, please, I'm sorry!" Her eyes had become glassy and wet. "Please don't die, I need you with me!"

"Nova... it's... it's pretty deep in there... it's too late..."

She was crying now. "No! Don't talk like that, you're not going to die! Guards! Someone! Please, I need help in here!"

"Don't bother... there's no one out there..."

Nova was doing her best to try and stop the bleeding. "Don't die on me, I need you!"

"Nova, listen..." He let out another cough. "I need you to do something for me."

"Stop it! I'm not going to let you die!"

"Please, never forget what we shared..." His breathing slowed.

"No, never! You'll be ok, Orson, I promise." Tears were falling on her husbands body.

"I love you..." His breathing stopped altogether, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Nova let out a scream of agony.

 _She killed her own husband over the land we sit on today. Nova stopped killing off the monsters that day and, instead, began to just push them off the land. It seemed like a suitable way to honor her late husband._

 _When the world learned of Nova's pregnancy only a few weeks after this disaster it had been because her child was born. Her child was hidden from the world for quite a few years until she was allowed to go out and actually see the world for herself. Because her child had lived a rather secluded life in the care of her monster hating mother this child grew up believing that these monsters were Mewni's greatest enemies. And so did her daughter, and so did_ her _daughter, and so did every queen of Mewni after._

 _After her husband's death Nova turned to be a more cruel queen than most had hoped but she loved nothing more than the nation she helped to create._

* * *

"And that's the story of Princess Nova."

"Wait, but, what happened to that other dimension, Harmond I think."

"Diplomatic uprising, they're not a monarchy anymore, we don't talk to them."

"Oh... So what does this have to do with me and Star?"

"I'm sure you're aware of the full scale war that's been ravaging our world for the last 3 years."

"What, no, no one told me about that!"

"Really? Star didn't say _anything_ about the war she's trying to end? Wow, major oversight on our part. Ok, here's the deal, we need to end this war _now_ before it ends up destroying our cities. It's gotten out of hand and Ludo has be-"

"Ludo? I've met the guy. Threw a rock at his head."

Samara stared at him for a few seconds in disbelief. "In... any case we need to end the monster's assaults and we think you may be just what we need to not only end it but prevent it from happening in the first place. Because of Queen Nova this war has escalated to the point where we can't stop it in our current time. Father Time told you about breaking the physical barrier, yes?"

"Yeah, he said with enough will power you can ascend through time or something like that."

"Yes, well, it's much more complicated than that but we need you to work with Star, end the war, and stop this chain of queens that are focusing on the monsters' destruction. We believe that if you can get Star to activate enough energy to surpass time then she can go back and stop Ludo from ever having caused the uprising in the first place and then prevent one from happening later on diplomatically. The full details will be confined to Star at a later date but until then she will be kept in the dark about this plan."

"Ok, I guess I can do that. Father Time said that pure emotions can invoke this 'will power' or whatever so is that why you needed me specifically?"

"Yes, with her soul-bounded partner this process can be made _much_ quicker."

One of the other politicians spoke. "Especially if you _really_ make her feel like a queen."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Marco didn't seem to catch his joke.

"Just that Queen Star will be much, much more willing to get... intimate with you."

Marco's cheeks began to burn lightly. "What, no! Noooononono, that's not happening!"

Samara had made her way around to Marco and placed a hand on his shoulder. "An heir is going to need to be made sooner or later, you know this."

"Y-yes." His cheeks grew brighter. "Yes I know..."

"All jokes aside this meeting has gone on long enough and now that you know what must happen we can move forward in our plan. More instructions will be provided in time but for now just go be a king. With the power invested in me I know declare you, with the acceptance of the rest in this room, that you, Marco Diaz of Earth, are the new King of Mewni. Long may he reign!"

The rest of the advisers in the room cheered as a crown was placed on his head. Samara led Marco to the door.

"Your kingdom and your queen are waiting."

* * *

 **Seriously, what was that time skip? Sister Guest Sorta, is this really your best contribution to the cause?**

* * *

Star and Marco stood at the door to the top balcony of the castle, the balcony that overlooked the grand courtyard that was currently filled with thousands of civilians. They were yelling for the two new monarchs to make their appearance.

"You know, there were a few times that I thought you might have never called me."

"And leave you forever? Not a chance."

"I mean, you did leave on a rather low note."

"Let's not think about that. We're together again, king and queen of a kingdom, and about to greet our subjects. The past is in the past, best we leave it where it is."

"Yeah... for now, I guess."

"What?"

"Nothing, come one. Let's go say hi."

The crowd exploded into what can only be described as noise. So many people were cheering and yelling and clapping that it was almost impossible to detect any solitary noises from the mass. Marco and Star looked over their people with a wave. When a few minutes of the two monarchs waving to their subjects had passed the two looked over into each others eyes.

"Why don't we give them something to really cheer over?"

"I like where this is going."

Marco leaned in to Star's waiting lips. The noise only grew louder as the sight of the two kissing carried over the waiting people. Marco felt a bit of guilt towards Janna but hey, he was a king now.

Janna would understand.

* * *

 ** _Baboomba super sexi ship time. Don't worry you little prudes there ain't gonna be any actual sex in this story. Doesn't mean I can't crack a few jokes, though. I could probably have just left the story at this if the war wasn't a thing but that's too cliche. I have SO MUCH MORE planned for this story._**

 ** _It's gonna be a good time._**


	23. Recovery

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Holy crap, I reached a new daily view record, 589 views last Sunday. How the hell did that happen? And that new episode... Fuckin' Bon Bon, man, rest in peace a second time. Can't believe they killed off such an important character so quickly. Makes me sad, y'know? Oh, yeah, and that other thing happened, too, I guess.**_

 _ **As this story get's closer to the end my writing slowly merges into a new story. But first let's read some reviews~**_

 _ **IUcOzAdE: I ain't gonna write smut, I suck at that kinda thing. I would never hold Star and Marco apart for too long. It's just wrong.**_

 _ **Guest: Keen eye you have there, my good friend. I won't be spoiling anything in the author's notes but don't drop that idea just yet!**_

 _ **DonDonatek: Hey, man, don't be getting all sappy on me. I mean, I do know who wrote that script *cough* guestsorta *cough* but yeah, the world may never know! Honestly, I wasn't trying to go too far with the jokes but glad someone's laughing. And it won't get too intimate, trust me. I ain't doin' that shit. This writing will never not be fun. Promise.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: I did say that, didn't eye? Aight then, my mistake. Now yes, time skips have no real dominion in our three dimensional world, but that doesn't mean we can't label those that do exist with lines of script to differentiate one time skip from another and, in turn, immortalize them in our own world. Nice try.**_

 _ **Thebeard92: Nah, man, you're awesome.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: I think it was actually in chapter 2's ending note. I dunno, I don't feel like going back and checking. Oh man, if this were Janna in the show that'd be interesting. I really strayed from her actually character design on this one. Oh well, whatchu gonna do? In all honesty the real reason I put so much effort in isn't just so you people can read it, it's so that I can better my own writing skills as I go (which I've definitely done). I post it on here so I can get feed back on what I can do better. The effort in putting together a good story is really just to appease myself.**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: While I agree that the episode was rather... tear jerking I have to tell everyone to just keep up their hope. Starco will happen and there's no doubt about it. GIMME MY LUGIA BACK DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO FIND THAT FUCKER!?**_

 ** _And with that said I can get into the next chapter:_**

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

 **Recovery**

A week was all it took to get Marco to believe that maybe, just maybe, his life back in college was something a bit more interesting than being a king.

It was a week of sitting around and listening to the same complaints from the villagers everyday, a week of constantly sitting in on diplomatic debates to which he had no say, and a week of Janna's constant teasing. If there was one thing that made Marco even more annoyed than seeing Janna happier with him being Star's King then there was no way Marco could have named it. It was like their relationship had meant almost nothing. Now he knew how Star felt.

He had a little talk with his now ex-girlfriend, to which she replied with an explanation of what she had told Star before heading to Mewni.

* * *

"Marco, come on, you know I still love you. It's why I'm here at all."

"Then why do you continuously tease me on all this stuff?"

"Because I can and I know it won't damage our relationship. Which is, aaahhh... something I need to talk to you about."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Marco, I'm breaking up with you."

"What? Janna, but- we- what?"

"Yeah, I talked to Star about it and realized you're waaaaaaay better off with her. Besides" She nudged his side with her elbow "Mewnian kings are still allowed to have concubines."

Marco's cheeked flushed a deep red. "Janna!"

She burst out laughing, holding her gut. "What? I know what makes you fluster." She straightened up and wiped a tear from her eye. "Anyway, Star already knows about all this and why I'm here."

"Why _are_ you here?"

"To be with you, silly. We may not be a thing but we're still best buds, ya dork."

* * *

Marco felt guilty to think it but being with Star full time instead of Janna almost felt like a weight being lifted from his chest. He liked Janna but, as it turns out, it was just as friends. His full attention could be brought back to Star.

That is, it would have been if he were still in the castle at all.

After the full week of dull diplomacy Marco found himself getting that taste of action he had been hoping for so desperately.

* * *

Star woke up one morning, a fine warm morning, and stretched her arms out. She turned her head to look over at Marco, who wasn't there. Odd, Star always woke up before him. She shrugged it off as something like chance and got up for the day, getting dressed. Maybe she had just slept in. She walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Marcooooo~ You in there?"

There was no answer so she opened the door. The room was empty. It was at this time that there was a knock on the bedroom door. When she opened it she found one her most trusted royal servants standing there ushering her to breakfast. Alvise had always been one of her favorites, even as a child. He always let Star get away with so much back when her parents were still around. She felt she could talk to the older man about anything.

"Al, have you seen Marco anywhere? I can't find him."

"No, m'lady, no one's left the room all night."

"Strange... Eh, maybe you guys just missed him. And I told you to stop calling me that, my name's Star."

"Of course, m'l- uh, I mean, Star."

Though she didn't look it, Star was actually freaking out on the inside. She tried her hardest to keep her exterior cool, calm, and collected, as her mother had always taught her, but she was scared about what could have happened to her love. She kept telling herself that maybe he just went for a walk or maybe he was doing something in another room of the castle but everywhere she looked he hadn't turned up.

It got to the point where she gathered a small group of people to go and search the city for him. Everyone agreed this was a rather justifiable action for the same reasons: these were war times and he was the king, they needed to keep him as safe as possible. Hours passed and there was still no sign of the boy. The castle was in total upheaval. Not a single person was wasted on menial tasks that weren't the act of looking for Marco, but these searches seemed hopeless.

Star was heading back to her room, it was well passed noon at this point, and started to contemplate whether or not to contact her people in the more crime infested region of the capitol. When she stepped in her room she noticed Glossaryck's book had been opened. The blue dwarf sat floating above the book as usual but, instead of gorging himself on pudding or reading over texts in the book, he was holding a piece of paper in both hands. He looked so small in comparison.

"Glossaryck, what's that you got there?"

"Huh? Oh, Star! Come here, I need to show you this."

"Does it have anything to do with Marco because I-"

"Yes, yes it does. Now read."

He shoved the paper in her face and she started to look over the words.

 _He's in our castle.  
You know the one.  
You've been there so many times to take back what I have stolen.  
Now see if you can do it once more.  
Bring the wand, I know you have it.  
-Ludo_

"No..."

"Yes, it appears Ludo has finally resulted to stealing living people rather than just objects."

"That monster, that absolute monster! How could he! Oh I can only imagine how they're treating him."

"Mmmm, yes, but whose fault is it really? After all, it wasn't Ludo who showed several people how to get in and out of the castle."

Star gasped, pained by his statement. "How dare you try and play this off like it's my fault! You should be helping me!"

"I am helping you, by telling you the facts. You're not completely un-blamable and it's only wise to recognize this. Now, are you going to take action or not?"

"No, no you're right. He needs my help. But how am I supposed to get into Ludo's castle now that there's an actual war raging all around it."

"I have a few ideas..."

* * *

 **Ah yes, these time skips sure are refreshing, are they not? Please, sit awhile. Take a load off and enjoy its innate sense of relaxation.**

* * *

Star stood in front of her advisers in the same room they had talked to the lost boy in. Samara sat directly across from Star, hands in her lap, ready to do whatever the Queen may command of her.

"I need every last reserve troop in the barracks ready to go by dawn."

"Yes, my queen, but may I ask why?"

"I'm going on my own search party. Into the Wastelands."

A collective gasp let Star know that this decision may not be the best one. "The Wastelands? Why there?"

Star held up the note from Ludo. "This is why. The enemy managed to sneak into my room last night and take Marco away from me while we slept. Ludo wants me to go personally and to bring the wand and that's exactly what I plan to do. I need a small army to help me across the land in order to get to his castle, though."

"Queen Star, you do realize that this is a complete suicide mission, yes? You are putting not only yourself but the entire state at risk here."

"It doesn't matter! My word is final and I know what I have to do. You will either supply me with what I need or will step aside to let those loyal to the crown take your place."

"No, no, that's not what I meant by that at all! As your head adviser it is my duty to warn you about these dangers."

"I know of these dangers already and I'm going to sacrifice myself for the one I love. All the reserve troops are to be mobilized at dawn. I'll take care of the rest."

"Yes, my liege."

Star got up and turned to leave. She was halfway to the door when another chairman got up to complain.

"This is pure insanity! You expect us to just go along with these crazy plans? You're putting more at risk here than you are getting in return should you succeed!" Star froze in place. "For the good of the people I urge you to please reconsider. The lives of thousands, nay, millions are at risk here! And for what? Some royal baby-maker who isn't even necessary at this time!"

Star turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of the man. "Care to repeat that statement?"

"Marco isn't worth the lives of your citizens and he certainly isn't worth yours! This is only going to end the war in their favor! It's a shame the old queen had to leave so soon, you still have so much to learn ab-" His words were cut off as a beam of light struck the man. He flew backwards through his chair and into the wall behind him, making a rather large dent. His body slumped to the ground, barely conscious.

Star was holding her wand up in a pseudo-battle-stance, the wand emitting smoke from its front face.

"No, you have much to learn. Marco isn't just some figurehead here, his life is worth all if not more than the ones I live to protect. And if you can't learn to see this then I will find someone who can. Do not test me, Carlis, or there _will_ be consequences."

His body offered no response. Neither did anyone else in the room, for that matter, as they were all rendered speechless by Star's sudden lash. Star turned with a flourish and left the room and its occupants behind.

* * *

 **Wow, this story's gettin' good. Glad I already know how it ends.**

* * *

"Remember your training, no matter what you may come across. And if worst comes to worst always know that you can still perform magic without your wand. You're only trying to get to the castle, the others won't be with you after that."

"Thank you, Glossaryck. I'll do my best to bring him back."

Star and Glossaryck were standing at the entrance to the castle. The first lights of the sun were just peaking over the horizon, painting the Mewnian sky a vibrant orange, and the near 40 troops Star had in reserve were all standing by the courtyard barely in view, ready to move at any second, very few of them were on warnicorns. Some were saying goodbye to family and friends. They all knew that not everyone was coming back from this. Star was adorned in a rather less-traditional set of armor that she had conjured up with her wand.

"Wait! Star!" Janna came running to the front entrance of the castle. "Star, wait, I'm coming with you."

"No, Janna, I need you to stay here and look over everything while I'm gone."

"What? But I can help you! I'm not just gonna sit around while my friend is being kidnapped! He's my best friend, too, y'know."

"Then who am I gonna have watch over everything?"

"Ahem" Janna cleared her throat and motioned to Glossaryck.

The blue man still seemed somewhat emotionless. "Honestly, I'm kind of hurt you considered Janna for this job before me."

"Mmmmmmm..." Star wasn't sure, for whatever reason, and was a little uneasy about this decision. "Alright, fine. Glossaryck, you're in charge until I get back. Janna, you're with me. Also we're, uh, out of warnicorns. You're going to have to walk."

"Aw, really? That blows."

"Glossaryck" Star held out a hand to the blue man, to which he gracious clutched one of the fingers. "If I don't make it back for whatever reason make sure someone worthy becomes queen. I don't want this kingdom falling to ruin and I trust your judgement."

"You have my word and my honor, my liege." He bowed to her, floating a few inches backwards.

Star nodded to Janna and they started to head down to the rest of the units. When they were within the masses Star hopped on the waiting warnicorn. She held her wand up to her mouth and spoke to the soldiers. Her wand amplified her voice like a megaphone.

"Attention! Everybody, can I have your attention!?" The mass died down to let their queen speak. "Everyone, the time has come to set out. As the sun rises we will be heading into what may be certain doom. It will be a long trek, no less than 3 days, to get to exactly where we're going. I have the route mapped out and so long as everything goes as planned we will avoid any real conflict until we get there. And on my dead body will our king be returned to this kingdom!"

The crowd cheered out. Star brought the wand back down to her side and looked over at Janna.

"You ready to go?"

"You bet I am. Everything's packed?"

"The food and other resources are packed with the others. We'll be fine so long as everything goes as planned."

Janna nodded in understanding and the two set out through the crowd of people, which parted to let them through. When they made it to the front of the group the mass reformed into one group and marched forward, following after their fearless leader. Star rode forward determined to finish her mission. She wasn't going to let Marco go right after they got together again.

The group marched on into the new sun as citizens looked on from their homes and shops. They waved goodbye.

* * *

 **Alright, in all seriousness, this time skip really needs some worship. It's like the starving African child equivalent of a time skip.**

* * *

The estimated time it took for the group to reach the castle was almost exactly as Star had predicted. They made it just as the sun was setting, giving the upcoming fight the perfect ambiance.

The 3 and a half days it took to reach the castle was nothing much to report on, just a lot of sleeping and next to no talking. Star said no more than 2 words the entire trip. She was too focused on what she was going to do to that stupid little bird man when she got there. Janna was worried for her mental health, she'd never seen Star so distraught over something like this before.

When the castle came into sight, so did the monsters. They looked like they had been waiting for the Mewmans to arrive. The thing that struck Star as strange, however, was how none of the monsters moved when they so clearly spotted the advancing partial army. Star held up a fist and everyone stopped. Everyone felt the anticipation in the air, it made breathing harder. The atmosphere became thicker yet no one caved. Everyone in the partial army stood tall, ready to fight, swords, shields, spears, crossbows, long bows, all trained on the monsters just up the hill in front of them and ready to kill. This was it for a good portion of the army, this was their last battle. Others may go home to see their families again but they knew it was a long shot.

Star was more ready than she had ever been in her life.

 _'I'm coming for you, Marco.'_

* * *

 ** _It's happening. it's going down now. A simple recovery mission turned into something bigger. Prepare you anuses because shits aboutta get real._**

 ** _Wait, that already happened..._**

 ** _Stay tuned for the next episode of-!_**

 ** _No, too cliche..._**

 ** _It's time... time for everything you held dear about this story to crumble to dust._**

 ** _There it is, that's the good one._**


	24. The Tidings of War

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Not much to say other than hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did. Ended up eating way to much, as per usual, and crashed on my aunt's couch for a few hours and then woke up with a massive headache. I love this holiday.**_

 _ **I also love reviews~!**_

 _ **ChelJosh: We all need a bit more Starco in our lives to hold us over until January. I might die without it. I did more than just consider it; I contemplated it! Oh, we're best buds now? Fuckin' sweet!**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: Yeah, that was something, wasn't it? Cliffhangers are a great way for author's to keep their audience's attention. And in cases like this, with regular updates, it's a way for me to say "Oi, fuck you. I'ma make you wait e'en more 'cause fuck you!" Oh, you're giving me my Lugia back, eh? Well it's about t- ti.. sp... sprin- sp- sp- s- sprink- sprinkles...? You... you put... sp-sprinkles o-on it...? *suffers from ptsd***_

 _ **Guest: In all honesty I, too, really agree with Carlis on this matter but if I had Star do that then, well, we just wouldn't have a good story now would we? Hey, good eye, man. We're gonna see a LOT more of Star turning into Nova reeeaaaal soon.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: I like this time skip, I shall use it. Oooooohoooo you don't want me to get into the quantum mechanics of timeskips right now but no, only beings of space experience time linearly. Don't start hating Ludo just yet...**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: Yeah fuck you too**_

 _ **Now, while I recover from my ptsd from that FUCKING LUGIA you can read this next chapter... here ya go...**_

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

 **The Tidings of War**

It was so strange, this place that Marco was in. He almost recognized it immediately. Almost. Save for the tint of light blue that was covering everything the room he was in almost looked like the inside of the castle he visited with Star all those years ago. He was pretty sure it belonged to

"Ludo!" Marco bolted up off the floor he was laying on and ran towards the little bird man standing just a few feet away. He didn't get far, however, as he smacked into the hard, light-blue glass that encased him. "Whaa...?"

"You like it? It's something of my own research team's design."

"Ludo! Where am I? What do you want with me?"

"Ugh, right away with the stupid questions. Boy, you really need to learn to think on your own. Where do you think you are and why do you think I need you?"

Marco took a quick look to his left and his right. "Well, I'm definitely in your castle."

"Yes, correct. See? You can do this."

"And I assume you're using me as... blackmail? Leverage? Torture?"

"Ok, ok, I get it. You're an idiot. I'll let that question stew over in this little cage of yours."

"How did I get here?"

"Oh my god, you never stop asking questions, do you? Take a look behind you."

Marco turned around to look at the back of his cage. Just outside the back side sat a woman on a little stool. She was eating an apple. Marco knew exactly who it was the second he laid eyes on her. "Celeste?!"

Ludo answered before Celeste had the opportunity to. "Yes! Celeste! Surprise surprise, you stupid child. You humans really do follow your penis, huh?"

"What? No, what are you talking about? I wasn't just 'following my penis', what are you talking about? Is this about her proposing to me on more than one occasion? I turned her down every single time."

Celeste called over to Ludo. "He's got a point."

"Never mind that! Celeste, you're supposed to be helping me here."

"Right, my bad."

Marco frowned at Ludo "Ok, so why is Celeste here?"

"She's the one that kidnapped you, you dumb child."

"And how exactly did she-"

"NO! No more questions! Ugh, it's taking everything I have not to cuss at you. I swear I wish the damn author would just set the age restriction up a notch."

"Yeah, I feel ya man."

"No, you don't feel me. *ahem* Anyway, anyway. As you know, you're in my castle. Brought here by Celeste, as we've already gone over. Star should be here in about a day, give or take the time it took Celeste to get back with you, so that gives me more than enough time to go through with my plan."

"You're gonna torture me, aren't you? I'll have to warn you, I'm a good fi-"

"No, you imbecile, I'm not going to-"

"Will you stop calling me stupid already, it's not n-"

"Holy shit, will you ever stop talk-"

"And stop cutting me of-"

"I"M GOING TO SCREAM IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!" Silence fell over the room except for Ludo's heavy breathing. "Celeste, if you would?"

The woman shrugged and set down her apple on the stool. She walked over to the large cube of light blue glass and raised her hands towards the boy. They were glowing a nice shade of light green as an aura of the same color passed of his mouth. He couldn't speak at all. He clawed at it but his hands passed through it every time he tried.

"Ah, finally." Ludo placed his two sets of claws on either side of his and massaged for a few seconds to calm down. "Ok, now I can explain. Marco, you have been grossly unaware of the war that's been ravaging these lands for the last few years and I want to change that, maybe make you see the light a little."

Marco let out a little grumble and sat down on the floor cross-legged. He put his head in his hands, offering a bored expression.

"So I'm sure Star's told you all about Mewnian Independence Day and Queen Nova, yes?"

Marco nodded. It wasn't actually Star who told him but it's not like he had the ability to bring that into questioning at the moment.

"Good, so you know all about the oppression my 'monsters' have gone through since the mass genocide committed against my people." Ludo crossed his arms behind his back and began to pace the room. "Ever since I was just a little child I have wanted nothing more than the luxuries that the Mewmans take for granted on a day-to-day basis. I've grown up in these swamps, watched as they slowly died more an more, watched as the citizens died off more and more from lack of nourishment. Do you know what that does to someone like me?" He stopped and turned towards the captured boy. "It killed me on the inside. I watched friends and family die from starvation and disease. There was no government here, no way of organizing the people and all because your 'lovely little Mewmans' just tossed us to the side!" He began pacing again. "It was no wonder someone had to step up, someone had to take the mantle." He let out a small sigh. "I just wanted my people to be happy. And of course Star wants the same for her people, but do you really thinking killing off monsters is going to solve anything? Of course not. You're only villainizing yourself. Don't you see, boy? Don't you see the general level of evil that emanates from Mewni?"

Marco's boredom had slowly subsided into curiosity throughout Ludo's little speech. There was no way Ludo was speaking the truth, was he? Marco felt bad for the monster but at the same time felt like this was some big elaborate trick. Thinking about it hurt his head. He wished Star would just hurry up and get here already.

"I never wanted to go to war with Mewni, I never wanted to send my people out to die, but it was necessary to show those blockheads that maybe, just maybe, keeping us from our ancestor's land was a bad idea. We deserve to live here just as much, if not more, than those god forsaken Mewmans. This is our birth right just as the wand is Star's and we have been pushed to the side and oppressed for far too long! Well I say fine, if we can't have our birth right then Mewni can't have hers. Unless, of course, _you_ can help her come to terms with my little compromise."

Marco sat up straight, eyeing down the little bird man. Compromise? Why should he help his captor? Just because this guy's family and ancestral lineage has experienced centuries of material and economic drought due to the kingdom he now 'helps' to run? Maybe he had a point...

Just as Ludo was making his final remarks the door to the room slammed open. Ludo jumped in surprise and turned to see Yvgeny standing in the doorway, saluting.

"General Buff Frog, what is it?"

"Ludo, sir, Star Butterfly is arriving quickly. Her army is fighting defense line now."

"Oh, perfect timing! Wow, she really made good time getting here, I'm surprised. Celeste, why aren't you that fast?"

"Oh shut up, I'm only one person."

"Whatever. Yvgeny, lead the Queen here when she makes it to the castle. And please, try not to get yourself killed."

"Yes, Ludo, master!"

Yvgeny saluted again and exited the room. Ludo stood there with a smirk on his beaked face.

"Everything is falling into place."

* * *

 **ALL HAIL THE GREAT TIME SKIP, GLORIOUS DAYS ARE NOW UPON US, FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER FOREVER OF TIME SKIPS!**

* * *

Star sat on her warnicorn facing the menacing army before her, fist still raised in the air. It was time for the blitz. She thrust her arm forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. This was the signal needed to begin the onslaught. The rest of the partial army began to yell as well and started charging up the hill. Spears were thrust forward, arrows were launched from their bows, swords were brandished behind shields, voices of war called out in unison to the gentle hum of murder.

The monsters held their ground, an un-moving wall of flesh, ready to accept the bounty being hurled its way. By the time the Mewmans were a good three quarters of the way up the hill they heard the great blast of a war horn signaling their own charge in the opposite direction. Claws were extended, teeth snarled, eyes filled with the ever burning flames of their ancestors. The two groups rushed towards each other with the force of an iron-clad sun.

Time to set the plan into motion.

Star kicked her warnicorn into a forward trot which soon sped into a sprint. She drew a large, purple tinted sword from the sheath on her back and began swinging, screaming out her own cry of war. The warnicorn pranced around the monsters, leaping over others. Star managed to slice through two of them. Though it looked like there weren't that many monsters from the bottom of the hill it quickly became apparent that there were so many more after they started to spill over the grass, or lack there of. Star was nearing the top when she spotted Janna holding her own against two beasts. She wasn't fighting just dodging repeatedly until one hit the other. It would almost have been entertaining to watch was Star not in a hurry. She rode over to the girl and, after trampling the monsters with the warnicorn, pulled Janna up and continued on her course.

The two girls looked around at the carnage taking place around them. Here people were dying. Here monsters had their stomachs eviscerated and necks slit. Here Mewmans had their eyes clawed out and arms ripped off. Here was the bloody outcome of war. Star sped up her steed, no time to waste philosophizing on the nature of battle.

With one last mighty leap the warnicorn broke out of the mass of clashing Spartans and landed on top of the hill. Star took one last look back.

"Star, we don't have time to hesitate now."

"Right, sorry." The warnicorn continued on towards the castle, it's route completely unblocked.

* * *

 **Wow... another very well thought out time skip quote. Maybe I should consider retiring...**

* * *

"Boy is this way."

Yvgeny walked down a long corridor in the castle, followed tightly by Star and Janna.

"Be quick, Ludo does not like having time wasted."

Janna snickered. "I'll waste some of his time."

"Janna, not now." Star shot her friend a 'shut-the-hell-up' look.

"Whatever." Janna looked away, unamused.

When the small group made it to the double doors Star turned to thank the man-frog, who nodded and walked off. Star placed her hands on the door handles.

"Let's do this..."

The doors swung open with a mighty crash as the two girls rushed into the room. Star readied her wand in one had, sword in the other, while Janna brought out the knife she had lifted off one of the monsters from earlier. Star struck a battle pose.

"Ludo! Where is he?"

"That's Ludo? I imagined him taller."

Ludo turned around, not in shock but with a wide grin on his face. "Ah, Star Butterfly... and friend. It's about time you showed up."

"I don't have time for this nonsense! Where is he?"

Janna nudged her friend and pointed at the large glass cube. "He's over there."

"Oh. Let him go, you monster!"

"No no, I have something better planned-"

Before he could finish there was a huge explosion behind him. Ludo turned to see what it was. A small area around Marco's prison was singed black from the blast yet the blue glass looked completely unharmed.

"You people really are rude, you know that?" Ludo turned back to the Queen. "You're not going to destroy that, might as well let me finish."

"YYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Star ignored the bird man and fired another spell at the cube. The blob of light-purple jelly that was ejected from the wand stuck to the glass, began to glow, and exploded all within the span of 4 seconds. When the smoke cleared the scene looked no different.

"Seriously, just stop. It's not going to happen."

Ignoring him once again Star stretched the face of her wand out to look like a rocket launcher. "RASPBERRY PANZERFAUST!" The wand shot a magical missile at the cube which exploded on impact, doing no more damage than the other spells had. She stood there in shock. "What is that stuff made out of...?"

"I don't know but you should stop trying to destroy it and just listen to me. Is that so hard?"

"Yes. Yes it is. I hate your voice. Everyone hates your voice."

"Wow... that hurts."

"Yeah, well, let Marco go and I won't have to insult you. What'll it take for you to get rid of that glass cube thingy?"

"Oh, I think Marco would be able to tell you that better. After all we just had a little chat and I think he has a new view on things."

"What? No he wouldn't. Marco knows what's up. Right?"

Ludo smirked and snapped his fingers. Celeste removed the magical barrier on Marco's mouth with a swish of the wrist. Marco ran up to the glass pane. "Star!"

Star looked over at the cube. "Marco, what's he talking about?"

"Uuuuhhh... yeah, about that..."

"You haven't turned, have you?" She started walking up to the glass. "You know what this war is about, right?"

"Star, maybe killing all the monsters off isn't the best idea? I mean, it is kinda your family's fault that they're all mad."

" _WHAT!?_ I can't believe you just said that! The monsters have been threatening our kingdom for years and years and you want to just forgive them?!"

"Maybe... maybe they're not the ones that need to be forgiven. Maybe it's us."

"No, Marco, no it's not."

"But think about it! The Mewmans came to Mewni and killed off all the monsters they could for no reason. The Mewmans pushed the remaining monsters off the land for no reason. The Mewmans left the monsters with no resources and no food. Is the war really their fault?"

"Well- I mean- maybe-"

"No, there is no 'maybe'. We can be the ones to end this, Star. What if we just integrate them into our own society?"

"Marco that's... near impossible now. There's just so much hate from this war, too many citizens would revolt. It really just... isn't a possibility."

"I know, but I have a solution. Remember when we met Father Time?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"He said that there's a way for you to actually go back in time."

"That's ridiculous."

"No, just listen. It all has to do with your magic."

While the two were talking Janna was crouched by Ludo, studying the weird creature.

"So you're, like, a bird. But also a person?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say. Who are you?"

"I'm Star's friend. Used to date Marco."

"Oooooh, you're that Janna girl I've been told about."

"You know about me?"

Ludo nodded and pointed back at Celeste who waved over at Janna while finishing her apple. Janna grumbled something about a dirty hoe and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm sure you've met Celeste before."

"Oh I've met her alright..."

Star, still talking to Marco, was shaking her head in disbelief. "There's no way that plan would work."

"That's why we use it as a last resort."

"No, we don't use that plan at all, even if nothing else works. We would never have met each other! I can't put myself through that."

"But if we would have never met then we wouldn't have to deal with the pain of being apart. Well, ok, that's not true. You would have to remember."

"Exactly my point! Face it, Marco, there really is just no way."

A voice from behind Star, a rather calm voice, spoke up from the shadows. "On the contrary, my dear, there is an alternative." A tall, well dressed lizard man walked into view, hands folded behind his back. "Let me be the solution."

* * *

 **Fuck, am sick. I think I caught whatever my sister had. Fml...**

 **Not much story left. Probably 2 or 3 more chapter to go until this arc is complete. I'm sure you're all going to love the ending.**

 **And I just realized I completely forgot about Marco's parents. I had something planned with them and Marco reuniting but I completely forgot and now Marco still thinks his parents are dead because he was never reunited with them and OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY MARCO!**

 **Final words: it's been a full two months! I can't believe I've been writing this for that long. And that it almost has 15,000 views total. I love you all.**


	25. A Circle Has Not Beginning or End

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I lied, I finished this faster than I thought I would. Two more chapters. Well, really this is the last chapter and the next one is kind of liek an epilogue that will lead into the next thing I do. Trust me you'll love it.**_

 _ **Just like how I love the reviews~**_

 _ **jjmmmmmlol: 1) YYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH *ncis screach* Wait, a Dialga? I already have, like, 8 of these! What do I want another for? (and no, I don't want no damn palkia) 2)**_ _**You just m. night shyamalaned this shit, mah dood.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: 1) I didn't even fuckin say that but, whatever. And... 78? Where'd you pull that number out of? 2) Yes.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: Oh... yeah... I knew that. This story may be over soon but this fic isn't ending anytime soon. I can guarantee that.**_

 _ **Guest: Yeah, well, life isn't fair sometimes. The monsters may look like 'good guys' to you but there are no good guys in war and there are no bad guys. Just the enemy. (wait, shit, I was gonna put that in the story...)**_

 _ **I'mChokingOnAnOlive: 1) You didn't give me ptsd, you just triggered it. AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGERS DON'T HATE ME! I enjoy breaking the 4th wall every now and again. This fic isn't ending for a very, very long time. Though this story will be done next chapter. 2) no u**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: This Time Skip request has been assessed and denied due to the following reasons: Failure to comply with rule 625.a.26 stating "All Time Skip quotes used to physically mark Time Skips are not to allure to pop culture unless directly created by the Time Skip Lord itself."  
Aw, shit, sorry bout that man. Maybe a bit of revision and I can use it.**_

 _ **do this: nah**_

 _ **DonDonatek: Maybe she's a bit weaker relative to herself in the show but don't just look at her. Everyone's a bit weaker. Except Toffee. I maxed him out.**_

 _ **amythestblade: It was meant to be! Well, anyway, glad you found my fic.**_

 ** _aach06: You better believe I am!_**

 _ **Hope this chapter gets you guys goin'.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

 **A Circle Has No Beginning or End**

Star looked over at the lizard man and squinted her eyes in confusion. "I... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

"You may know me, you may not, that's not what matters here."

Ludo walked away from Janna, addressing the lizard. "Toffee? You said you were going to stay out of this until the end!"

"I did say that, and I'm staying true to my word. This is the end of my plan."

Star's eyes lit up with recognition. "Toffee? I _do_ know you! You fought my mother!"

"And your grandmother, and your grandmother's mother, and her mother after that."

"What do you mean?"

"The point is I have a long history with your family-" Toffee was cut off as Ludo began tugging on his leg.

"Toffee, can I have a word with you for a second?"

"Yes, if you make it quick."

The two turned away, leaving the rest of the room's occupants to stand there, curious as to what exactly is going on.

"What are you doing here?"

"Putting my own plan into action."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I have ulterior motives. Need I elaborate more?"

"So, what, you used my plan-"

"That I came up with."

"Whatever. You used my plan to do... what exactly?"

"Oh, just take over is all. You see, Ludo, your ideals and your tirades were merely means for me to climb up high on the ladder of power. And now that I'm at the top I can just give a little poke and you'll go tumbling back down if I so choose."

"You- you used me!?"

"Used is a subjective term. I prefer to say perpetuated your flaws into strengths to allow you to rise to power as I rode on your back."

" _YOU_ were the mole! And I didn't even see it coming! I will not stand for this! Buff F-!"

As Ludo was calling for his top General his feet left the ground. Toffee had grabbed the top of the bird's giant head and picked him up and, with a flick of the wrist, tossed him away. Ludo smacked into the cube of glass imprisoning Marco. Everyone gasped in shock. Star, the first to act, brandished her wand in her hand and readied herself as the lizard man began to walk towards her. She shot a thick, purple beam of light out of fear which practically exploded on contact with Toffee's scaled body. A black smoke kicked up and covered a large area around these two, shrouding them from everyone's sight. Star couldn't see anything. She coughed and squinted, trying to make out anything she could like the rather large fist making its way for her face. The closed hand shot straight through the smoke and connected with the side of Star's head, knocking her out immediately.

When the smoke cleared the rest saw Toffee picking Star up over his shoulder.

"I'm terribly sorry that I must leave as hastily as I got here but this fine specimen is going to make my dreams come true."

Toffee turned and began walking away. The only one to react through their shock was Janna who shot towards Toffee at a sprint. She flew back the way she came after a smack from Toffee's rather muscular tail. The door to the room slammed shut as Celeste was helping to get Ludo up off the ground. Janna got up and rubbed the back of her head.

"We need to go after them! Now!"

Ludo nodded in agreement. "Yes, we do. I can't have this man ruining everything I've worked for."

Ludo and Celeste began running for the door as Janna looked back at Marco, still in his prison and still half crying half muttering 'no...' over and over again. She called after the two who were now running off.

"Wait! What about Marco?!"

"Just tap the back panel, a door will open up!"

Janna ran over to the back of the cube and did as she was instructed. A rectangle the size of a door was cut into the glass and slid open. The second it was clear Marco ran out to embrace Janna.

"Janna, I'm so sorry."

Janna broke the hug. "There's no time for that, come on!" She grabbed his wrist and ran after the others.

* * *

 **Do not worship this time skip, it is only being transported. Please pay it no mind.**

* * *

They found him outside behind the castle.

He was standing in front of a large machine, back turned to the others. He didn't seem to realize that the four people sprinting out of the castle were heading straight for him. The machine was tall, rising well above Toffee's head. It had a cylindrical base with an access panel bolted to the front which Toffee's fingers were running across madly, typing in some foreign computer language. On top of this cylinder was two curved spires, both ending in a point that bent down and inwards, pointing back at the base. Star's wrists were connected to the tips of these spires, latched into metal cuffs. She was still unconscious, hanging peacefully as the breeze caused the bottom of her dress to sway. Her armor had been stripped, strewn about on the ground around the lizard man's feet.

"STAR!" Marco couldn't help but yell out as they got close. He realized the stupidity of this after the fact.

Toffee turned to face the four running mates with a smile. "Well, well. Look who's shown up."

They stopped running, forming a line a few yards away from the suited man. The two sides stared each other down for what felt like hours to Marco. The breeze whipped up a little, leaves were blowing around in the background. After the 30 seconds had passed Toffee broke the silence.

"If we're just going to stand here all day then I'm just going to get back to destroying Star's physical and magical livelihood." He turned back around to the control panel.

Marco, disregarding the rule of never striking a man when his back is turned, rushed. His spirit was invigorated, eyes flaming from the inside, body flying back the way it came in a similar fashion that Janna's did. He slid across the ground back into his position in the line. Toffee turned back around, his arms folded over his chest.

"If it didn't work for your friend then why would it work now?"

Marco let out a little grumble from the ground as Janna crouched down to see if he was ok.

"You know, you're just in time. The show's starting... now." His tail lifted up and the tip of it hit the control panel. Above them all was a spark of yellow-green light igniting from the tips of the bent spires engulfing Star's body which jolted violently.

Marco's head shot up. "No! Stop it! You're hurting her!"

Surprisingly, Toffee's tail shut off the machine again. "You don't say? Now I'm sure you're probably wondering what it'll take to keep me from turning it on again."

The convulsions caused Star to regain consciousness as she hung from the machine. She looked around, scared out of her mind. "What- what's going on?" She struggled on the wrist restraints.

Toffee chuckled. "Looks like she's woken up."

Marco got up entirely, seething with absolute rage now. "LET HER GO!"

"Or what, you'll fight me?"

Ludo nudged Marco's leg. "That's reeeaaaally not a good idea, just so you know. He will beat you."

"You think it matters!? I'll rip him to shreds!"

Janna attempted to grab his arms as he ran off again. Marco shrieked as he charged but was soon silenced as his body was pinned to the ground in a movement as quick as lightning. His arms were snapped back behind the small of his back, legs kicking up dirt. Toffee held him down with just a foot.

"LET ME GO!" Marco's voice came out muffled from the dirt covering his mouth.

"Or I could just..." Toffee turned the machine on again with his tail.

Star let out a shriek of her own as the machine shocked her to the core. It was as if lightning was charging her veins, burning her nerves with the might of the gods themselves. She could feel her body draining, her insides becoming weaker.

"NO! No, turn it off!" Marco stopped struggling as the machine shut off. His body was kicked to the side. Star was breathing heavily, unable to speak through her pain.

"Anyone else wanna take a crack at it?" Toffee's eyes wandered to the group.

Ludo instinctively backed up, not wanting anything to do with that. Marco looked at Celeste desperately.

"Celeste! Please, I know you can fight. Help me, please!"

"You think she will help you? You poor, misguided child."

"Celeste please!"

She looked uncomfortable, unable to choose what to do. "I- I don't know... I can't. He'll kill me!"

"Fine! Janna, I know you want Star back, too!" He stood back up, fire filling his eyes once more.

"I'm no fighter! But here." She tossed the knife she stole over to Marco. "That might give you an edge."

Marco caught the knife and looked down at it curiously. He gripped it tight as Toffee spoke once more.

"You think a little knife will stop me? I don't even need to use my hands." He unfolded his arms and held them behind his back. "Go ahead and try, though."

Marco rushed again, the wind blowing back his long hair, knife in optimal thrusting position. He couldn't get close enough, however, because the tail had whipped his feet off the ground, sending him to the ground once again. With another smack Marco's body slid back to the others. Marco got up holding his abdomen. His clothes were now torn in several places and his body was scraped and bloody underneath. Toffee shook his head in pity.

"You really don't know when to stop do you?"

"I'll never stop! Not until Star's free!"

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill both of you." He turned the machine back on. He had no intentions of turning it off this time.

Star's shriek rang in Marco's ears filling his eyes with tears. His knuckles were white while gripping the knife. Running towards Toffee at a significantly slower speed Marco swung the small blade, attempting to hit the other. Toffee side stepped easily. Marco turned and swung again and again tying desperately to slash at the man. Toffee dodged all of them until finally grabbing his wrist, taking the knife, and dropping the boy to the ground. Marco didn't even bother trying to get up, Star's screams still filling his ears.

"Your effort is commendable, but did you really think drive was enough to stop me?" Toffee addressed everyone. "All of you are about to see what true power looks like, and you'll have to sit there knowing there was nothing any of you could do to stop me."

Marco's breathing was ragged with exhaustion. "Don't... be so sure... I can still-"

"Still what? Spit on me? Face it, kid, you lost. And now you're going to die."

"No..."

"Not only that but your friends are going to die as well. And then Star up there."

"No!..."

"It's a pity, really. The two of you were working so well together. I actually thought you might have been able to save Mewni. Might. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a world to own." He turned back to the machine, monitoring its progress. 58%, it said.

No one else moved, they were all riddled with fright. Marco attempted to push his body off the ground, struggling tremendously. Toffee saw this. "Really? You're still trying? I guess that's to be expected of someone with everything on the line. Foolish as you are, I can't really blame you."

"You're pitiful..." Marco spat out blood on the emphasis of that word. "You need to be destroyed."

"And you're a worthless fool who thinks he still has a chance. Just give up, you're never going to save her." By now Toffee had made his way over to where Marco lay and bent down, getting close to his face. "You're going to die alone. All alone just like the rest of us." Toffee straightened back up and turned his back once more.

Something snapped inside Marco. He mustered the last remaining bit of strength and courage that he had left and bolted. It took everyone by surprise, especially Toffee as the knife was taken from his hand and he was knocked to the ground. Marco was standing over top of the lizard man now, knife once again in his own hand. Toffee smirked for the first time since he had shown his face to the rest of them.

"What? Are you going to kill me? You don't have the guts!"

Marco looked down at the blade in his hand. He didn't have the will to take another's life no matter how wretched.

"Do it. Prove you aren't so worthless."

" _Don't do it_!" Marco looked back at Janna. "Don't do it, Marco! You're better than this!"

"I... I..."

Ludo finally decided to be useful for the first time during the fight. "Do it, boy! You know what he's capable of, his evil can't exist!"

"I can't..."

Toffee had silently risen before Marco could turn around. "Well then looks like you lost your only chance. And you lost _her_ only chance."

Marco turned back to Toffee.

"Now give me the knife before you hurt yourself like you did everyone else."

"What was that...?"

"You let everyone down."

Marco took one look at the writhing form of Star and sighed, shaking his head. "Not yet..."

Marco became a man that day, knowing there was only one thing he could do. Who knew that lizard heads had so much blood in them? The blood was spraying from Toffee's neck like a broken faucet, covering Marco with enough 'red paint' to make him want to throw up his guts. The knife protruding from Toffee's neck caused him to choke, unable to breath. He dropped to his knees, face losing the little bit of reptilian color that it had. His hands scratched for the bit of steel in him but they just weren't responding the way he wanted them to. Before he knew it the life had escaped his body, eyes rolling to the back of the head. His body slumped to the ground with a 'thud'.

Marco looked down at his own hands covered in blood. His vision was a bit blurry and his body gave out. He fell to the ground beside the dead man and shook violently, shivering from the thought of what he had just done. He didn't even realize Janna was just above him, trying to get him to stand. She was saying something... something... doesn't matter. The others were running for the machine, doing something to it. A body fell out of the sky at one point, but... whose body?

"Star... STAR!"

Marco shook his head and stumbled to get over to her. Janna did her best to make Marco try and take it easy but he wasn't listening. He couldn't listen. Star was there, almost in his reach, just outside his grasp, getting closer, almost there. They were both very weak when they finally embraced, Marco having finally made it to Star. He practically had to pull her out of Celeste's arms. Everything seemed to surreal, nothing wanted to stay still. Star whispered in his ear.

"Thank you..."

Marco only hugged tighter and shushed her. Janna took a seat by the two of them, letting them have their moment, Celeste went back to looking at the machine, and Ludo made his way back over to Toffee's body.

Ludo sighed. "It's always the one your closest to."

Celeste called over to her boss with fear in her eyes. "LUDO!"

He ran back over to the machine to see what was wrong, realizing the severity almost immediately. The machine read '100%, processing procedure'.

"We were too late, it's already starting!"

"Oooooh, that's not good."

Janna, having overheard the others, shook the two that were still hugging. "Guys, uh, I think you should see this."

"Not now, it can wait."

Ludo smacked Marco on the back of the head. "No, it can _not_ wait!"

Celeste became even more scared. "There's no way to override it! Maybe we can smash it?"

Ludo shook his head. "That thing's made of the best steel alloy we could steal from Mewni, there's no way we're breaking it."

Star whimpered, grabbing Marco tighter. "Marco...?"

"Yes, Star?"

"Remember that thing you told me about back inside? The thing Father Time had told you?"

"What? You can't honestly be thinking..."

Star looked away, frowning.

"No! No, Star, we'd have never met! I'll forget about you!"

"I know... but, maybe I can go back to Earth. Reteach you everything."

"Star, no! Don't talk like that, it's not happening!"

Ludo grabbed Star and forced her to face him. "What's not happening?! By all means if you have a solution let us hear it!"

Star shook off his grasp. "There may be a way for me to go back in time. I can prevent all of this from happening, rewrite my timeline or something like that."

Marco frowned since Star was even considering it. "But it's not an option anymore. I'm not-"

"Marco! You're the king of Mewni now. You can't just not do something just because you don't want to, this is for the welfare of the entire planet!"

Marco crossed his arms and looked away. "You seemed pretty ready to dismiss it a little while ago."

"Because it wasn't our only option then! This may be all we have left now."

Ludo tapped his foot in impatience. "Can we get on with this, then? We have very limited time to be a stubborn baby, here! Star, how are we going to get this to work?"

"Marco, Father Time told you how this works, right?"

Marco looked back over to the others, his face solemn. "He did. He said we need to raise you levels of 'will power' or something like that."

Ludo grew a bit angry. "'-or something like that'? What's that supposed to mean? Do you not know for sure?"

"No, I know. He said lots of... emotion can do this. I don't no the absolute details just that a super emotional moment can raise Star's will power and cause her magic to 'power up'."

Celeste looked over from the machine. "You have two minutes! Make it quick!"

Ludo jumped. "Ok, ok, nothing to worry about. How... how are we gonna do this?"

Star looked up into Marco's eyes, a sense of longing emanating from her face. "I have an idea." She stood up slowly and shakily pulling Marco up with her. They were both aching terribly and had to hold onto each other just to stay up. "Do you remember that time you woke up in that dream world with me?"

"You mean after my house exploded?"

Ludo looked a bit guilty after hearing that.

"Yeah, remember what I told you? How being without you for as long as I had been was so terrible. How I felt so bad day after day just watching you sleep. Do you remember what you said to me?"

"I think I do... I said I'd never abandon you."

"Well, it's time. It's time to prove that you meant what you said and help me set things right. We may not see each other for a very long time, I have no idea how long, but I promise you that I will come back. I would never abandon you."

"Thank you, I'll wait for your return."

"Then do you remember the other thing we did in the dream world?"

"Yes. I do."

And they kissed. For the first time in years they finally did more than just hug. Star held onto Marco's hands, pressing their lips together. Marco could feel her soft, warm skin on his. It was painful for more reasons than one. He felt physical pain, remnants of his fight with Toffee, and the obvious emotional pain. If this worked he would go back to his family, he'd go back to his friends, and his old house, and his old school. Everything he'd lost since meeting Star would be brought back and he would go back to being an outcast 14 year old. Of course, he wouldn't remember anything. No one would except Star. It's what killed him on the inside the most, the fact that he wouldn't remember any of this, any of their adventures together, any of their moments shared. He knew Star was thinking the same. A tear fell from his eyes and landed on Star's cheek. The pink heart began to glow white upon impact. Soon both her cheeks were shining bright white, blinding the others who were watching.

Star opened her eyes mid kiss, they too were glowing a solid white, as well. Wind was whipping up around them, adding to the already fast winds. It almost looked like the dirt picked up by the wind was creating a vortex around them. Star's feet eventually left the ground and her body lifted upwards. They held onto the kiss for as long as they could before having their embrace severed. Star's arm's became outstretched as she was ascending. Her wand flew out of it's hiding place inside Toffee's bloody suit jacket and stopped in front of her. It's face was glowing white as well.

Marco looked upwards towards Star. The wind blew his hair around, drying out his eyes of the tears that hung there. He could tell that she was saying something or, from the looks of it, whispering it. The wand broke apart, it's pieces scattering and leaving only a small ghost-like horse floating in its place. It darted around Star's head a bit and then dissipated in a thin wisp of smoke. Star's eyes and cheeks began to glow brighter and brighter until all anyone could see was a bright flash of light.

In his blindness Marco could hear Star's voice as if she had whispered in his ear. A simple 3 words.

"I love you."

The light faded soon after.

* * *

 _ **Shit. This is it, guys. One more chapter. I really wish I could go back and make some changes to the story as a whole but then again, it's not mine to change anymore. If I were to change the plot it wouldn't be 'The Lives We Lead' any more. It would change the story entirely. Well, guess that's what I get for being a forgetful sonofabitch. I just tried to fit too much into one story and I know it, but I'll get more chances with my next ones.**_

 _ **Did you cry? I almost did while writing this.**_


	26. Only the Good Die Young

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. It's been a wild ride but it's time to put this story away. Maybe tie up a few loose ends because I'm an idiot. Don't worry, I'll keep going after this with another story but it won't be to as grand a scale as this was. I put way too much into one story and suffered the plot holes trying to do my best to fix it. Good enough for now, I guess. I never claimed to be the best.**_

 _ **But, unlike the best, I still respond to reviews~**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: I mean, I could but you would never know (unlessIfindyourhousehahahahahahaha). Wait, you don't cry? Evar? What are you, fucking emotionless?**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Shit, man, thanks for that. I get a lot of support in the reviews but it's nice to see it from someone who's basically been here from the start. Also, I finally got around to listening to the entirety of Revolution Radio and now I understand your name. GG**_

 _ **MrSkittles: What can I say? I have a very... unconventional sense of humor. This end is gonna make you hate me but whatever, I don't care. After all, I'm the best to you. Also I hate skittles. Heh...**_

 _ **Guest: Let me answer those three (four) things:  
1\. Thank ya  
2\. uhhh... plot.  
3\. plot.  
4\. ...plot.  
I took some "creative liberties" (that's an author's excuse for shitty writing and plot holes they can't account for). Sue me.**_

 _ **ChelJosh: We all eagerly await the new episode in January. Until then, have some shitily annoying writing.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: Oh don't be a fucking pussy. I ain't goin' anywhere. Actually though you're scaring me, I never thought people would rely on me for mental comfort when i started. Shit, now I'm obligated to continue this fucking thing.**_

 _ **Enjoy, faggots. (Another awesome song for a title. I believe I've mentioned Mr. Joel before...)**_

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 **Only the Good Die Young**

Marco never saw Star again. At this point I think it's safe to say that since this _is_ the end of our story together. But please, let me explain:

After the little excursion at Ludo's castle and the time travel 'spell' was executed Marco went back to his meaningless dreary life in Echo Creek, California. The only difference was the memory of a little lie that Star had told him.

 _'I'm the only one that will remember anything.'_

She was wrong, they were both wrong. They couldn't have known it at the time but everyone (alive) that was present in the ~12 yard radius around Star after the 'spell' went off was caught in a bit of a time shield. That is to say, even as Time can remove memories it can preserve them with just as much ease. Marco, Janna, Ludo, even Celeste, all remembered everything after they had warped back in time. No one said anything of it, though, except to reassure that they weren't the only ones that remembered. Ludo and Celeste established that it was to never be talked about and went on their ways. Marco and Janna did the same.

Obviously, the toll was hardest on Marco. The love of his life, though he never could admit it, was in another dimension with no means of connection between the two and the only hope he could ever have of seeing her again was the hope that she may come back just like she promised nearly 4 years in the future of another time line that now ceases to exist. Though it hurt him more now than it would if he had never remembered he knew it was something he could deal with. After all, he had dealt with it before and under harder circumstances.

But she never did come back. Marco waited for the longest time but no, there was never any sign of Star. It had been far longer than the first 3 year period he had painstakingly trudged through before, reaching nearly the 5 year mark before Janna had given him a piece of advice. He decided to talk to Janna about it again after going paranoid over the fact that she might not be coming back. Marco and Janna had stayed close through the years, knowing they were the only ones in this world who knew of the existence of Star and her home. Janna saw the state that the boy was in and decided that it would be best if he wrote it all down on paper, a therapeutic story telling.

Marco complied, knowing it may be all he had left to remember Star by even though he knew she would never leave his mind. He was halfway through the story when it became apparent that maybe he could use this to his advantage. He changed the names of the characters who resided on Earth but decided that there was no reason to change Star's or anyone else's name who was back on Mewni. It's not like anyone would recognize it.

But he was wrong.

Marco published the book in December of the year 2021, just in time for the holidays. It hit the shelves as the best selling sci-fi book of the year almost instantly. It didn't take long, however, for Mr. and Mrs. Diaz to recognize the half of the story that Marco had left unaltered. Knowing they had never told the boy any of this, and that he shouldn't know about any of this, they confronted their son.

It was this day that Marco learned about his parents' true origins and how his mother had actually come from Mewni. Marco recalled the passage in the Mewberty book he had read so long ago and questioned his mother on her lack of cheek spots. "There's always a way to hide the truth" is what she told him. They still refused to tell Marco exactly what relation they had with the king and queen and how they became the Earth Ambassadors but they did give Marco the pair of dimensional scissors they had saved. Marco could only curse himself for not finding them himself.

Without thinking and without a moment wasted Marco was back on Mewni again, portal cut straight from the living room. The guards took him to see the King and Queen after being told he needed to see the princess right away.

Moon and River were surprised to meet someone who wanted to talk to Star. This surprise faded when they learned he was the son of Angie and Rafael. The poor boy hadn't even heard about what happened to Star yet.

They had Marco explain why he even knew who Star was since they had strictly told his parents not to tell Marco _anything_ unless they gave the ok. Marco decided to start from the very beginning, and retold his story so far. He told them about how the two met, about how they had sent Star to Earth to appease the locals, about how the two became friends at school, about how the two had met father time, about how the two had danced under the blood moon, about how they had survived a house explosion, about how they had parted on Christmas, about how he waited nearly 4 years just to talk to her again, about how they reunited, about how he became king, about the war that took so many lives, about how Toffee had forced Star's hand in erasing everything, and finally about how he somehow kept all his memories from all that. Moon and River were baffled.

When Marco asked if he could see Star again the Queen decided it was her turn to tell a story.

A few years ago Star came to her parents with an idea in her head. She had a way to finally stop the tension between the Kingdom and the Wastelands. She was laughed off at first but the girl was determined. She went out to Ludo's castle herself just to talk to the little madman. She came back with even better news than the first time. The two had talked for some time about the possibility of merging their two nations into one society, a way to bring peace to both peoples. It put her parents in a corner, though, practically being forced to go along with their daughter's plans. Moon was especially opposed to the idea to begin with but her husband had managed to talk her into it saying "it may be time we try something new, nothing else has worked". Star was ecstatic. She had finally done something right, something that made her look worthy of being a queen. There was going to be peace in these lands for the first time in centuries. It took awhile but with a bit of construction and a _lot_ of effort on the end of the civilians half the Kingdom was on it's way to full monster assimilation within a year. There were quite a few people, however, who could not be persuaded by peace. There's one in every crowd, the one person who doesn't agree with progress, the one person who doesn't want to stray from tradition, the one person who hates peace.

Moon was choking up at this point, unable to continue with her story. River held her close and continued with the story himself.

The man's name was Maxwell and he wasn't known for any crimes against the state. He was one who loved Mewni, loved what it had become. He was ready to pick up a sword and die for this place. When you have someone with that amount of nationalism embedded into their mind you know they aren't going to take it lightly when their whole world is turned upside-down. He wasn't exactly all for the idea of allowing the enemy of the Kingdom to just waltz in the gates and start living his people's life and taking his people's jobs. He believed the only solution was to off whoever's amazing idea it was to let the monsters in. Star was walking down the street one day checking on how everything was going in the district current taken up by resident monster-citizens when it happened. A knife to the throat. Ironic, really. Maxwell didn't get far, he was subdued by a rather large frog-man with a thick accent. It had been nearly 4 years since that day.

Marco found himself in tears.

He ran out of that room in denial, skipped right through anger and bargaining, and dropped into a bout of depression when he made it back to his room on Earth 2 minutes later.

He told Janna of what happened the next day.

Janna helped to comfort Marco throughout the next week.

Marco and Janna got to talking to the Queen about what was going to happen about the kingdom sometime in the next month.

Though he never forgot Star and still holds her dear to his heart, Marco and Janna started to date again through the next year.

Marco and Janna graduated from college and eventually married. They took Mr. and Mrs. Diaz back to Mewni and started a life there. They had a few kids who grew up well.

Moon and River died together one night, passing silently in their sleep. With no heir to take up the throne the counsel of advisers were hard-pressed to choose a new Queen to lead the Kingdom. They took everyone's opinion into account and eventually the monarchy was abolished, soon to be replaced with an oligarchy. It wasn't perfect but it was all in good faith. Monsters began holding positions of power, Ludo himself even got in, but this was met with hatred. There was a lot of work to do but at least they were trying.

Toffee was never seen again, he fled from the dimension after Star and Ludo struck their deal. No one knew it, of course, except for those who see all. Those like me.

I have watched over these two separate Timelines with a lot of intrigue for quite some Time now and I figured it was something worth sharing. Not much happened in this one after the monarchy was abolished so I shall end my story here.

I have personally played a key role in stories like this all over the multiverse. There are plenty to be told and plenty that I shall tell. You probably remember me from chapter 10. I helped to nudge this story along the path that it took, I interacted with its characters, and I have passed my knowledge onto you: the people on the other side. Though I can't see your face I can hear you and I know you are no more significant than those in this story.

We are all just characters in a grand scheme, a story to be told throughout the ages, living through the pages of a book written long ago. You spend the little bit of Time you have enjoying a good story consisting of people whom may or may not exist. A worthy cause, I have always said the most important thing in life is the enjoyment of a good story regardless of medium.

Well, I hope you all got a kick out of this story, because it's the only Time it will ever be told outside its own Timeline. It's Time, now, for a new one. If you remember what I told Marco back in chapter 10 about how his portals were not traveling to separate dimensions then you remember me mentioning separate universes. There are an infinite number of universes out there with an infinite number of worlds in each. I can look over every single one and pick out any that I want to look at. I think we should keep the same characters as last Time but change the situation up a little.

This first story that I've told you is what the kids like to call a "Reality AU", AU accurately standing for 'Alternate Universe'. I decided using this as a base story to judge the rest off of would enhance your reading experience. The next 'AU' I have queued up on my monitors is an interesting one, it's one where Star and Marco- you know what? I think I'll leave it as a surprise for now. You're all gonna love it.

Until next Time, my friends. This is Father Time wishing you all farewell.

* * *

 _ **I'm not done yet.**_

 ** _No, not even close._**


	27. The Eyes that See Nothing

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Thanks for sticking around during that god awful hiatus. Here's the continuation of the next AU. I know I said this was going to come out after Christmas but... I lied. Here is my real Christmas present to all of you. Or my gift to you on the second day of Hanukkah. Or my Kwanzaa gift. Do they give gifts on Kwanzaa? What the hell IS Kwanzaa...?**_

 _ **Anyway, I know you've all been wondering what the next AU will be. "Not really, I don't actually care all-" I KNOW you've been hanging on the edge of your seats so I thought I'd make you suffer a bit more. You gotta read to find out. Or scroll down to the bottom.**_

 _ **Cheater.**_

 _ **But before that info, reviews~**_

 _ **MrSkittles: Yeah, sorry, never liked them. Not sure why, i think it's just the taste. So here's your next chapter. I'd love to make your dreams come true and all but I can't do that if your review is cut off like that.**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Thanks, man, glad you like it.**_

 _ **rebellious dreamer dawning: 1) I do to, tbh, and I feel like we'll get more of it in the show eventually. 2) I hate me for that, too :)**_

 _ **amythestblade: Then I hope it'll satisfy our need for season 3 until it comes out.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: 1) Dude, calm down, it's just a meme. 2) I'll get you to cry one of these days, whether you admit it or not. I did just kill Star. You're welcome.**_

 _ **Guest: Memes. But honestly, you do you man. I ain't changing my father time and I'm not gonna make you like it. I didn't really try to make him look too OP on purpose, just an omnipotent character that has little influence on the actual story. I mean, I can understand if you hate the idea of a terribly unbalanced character but what does it matter if he doesn't do jack shit other than narrate? I promise that's all he's gonna be used for.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: The deed is done.**_

 _ **Ok, now onto some info you should know on this AU: the wait is over! The next AU will be...**_

 ** _Nah, you'll have to read it to find out._**

 _ **So here you go:**_

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

 **The Eyes that See Nothing**

Well well, look who's come back for more. After a story like the last one I was kind of afraid I might have turned some of you away. But I knew you would all come back to read what I have in store. Literally, I saw it on my monitors.

Well, now that you're back, we can get right back to it. I'm sure you're all wondering what I have in store for this one, seeing as I wouldn't tell you last time. This alternate universe is quite different from the last one in almost every regard. I happened across this timeline by accident, actually, and thought it would make a fitting second story. I give you: Marco, back in his freshmen year of high school, doing nothing but sitting around and waiting for the perfect opportunity:

* * *

Marco was just your regular old lad, completely normal in every way. That is, if you call being stupidly cautious over everything to the point where you've turned somewhat sour and lost all your friends 'normal'. With those standards Marco was the most normal kid in Echo Creek Academy.

And oh how he hated it.

Marco never meant to drive his friends away with his erratic 'cleansing's or his constant organizing or his downbeat, mellow attitude on life. Marco never wanted to be as alone as he was right now. You'd never see Marco cry, you'd never see him pout, or grind his teeth in anger, or show any signs of remorse. But you'd never see him smile, laugh, or see that twinkle of a wayward wish sparkling in his eye either. He never complained about what he's become or the fact that everyone just tried to avoid him but he also never attempted to reconnect with anyone out of respect for their own personal wishes of staying the hell away from this weirdo. Marco never sat with anyone at lunch but he also never tried to.

In this school Marco Diaz just was.

He was just another kid walking the halls in the background of a much bigger story to be told, existing for no reason other than that his parents had decided not to use protection one night. He hated it but never did anything about it.

' _What's the point in changing if no one else wants to try with you?_ '

If one thing was certain about this kid it was that his sense of self-worth was way below average. In fact, it was farther down than the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He had always felt so worthless, replaceable. But, as if to compliment such a terrible flaw in his personality, Marco's confidence was absolutely off the charts. Maybe it was the fact that he had nothing to lose, maybe it was the karate lessons, or maybe it was just a genetic thing. His parents always seemed to upbeat, almost hyper, and confident, perhaps he got it from them.

Then again, who's to say for sure?

Marco knew how to talk to people, when he wasn't going crazy over a tiny bit of untidiness, and he was never one to stammer, falter, or just mess up in general. His grades were good enough that no one ever suspected him to have any form of depression, not that he really gave them a reason to anyway, and he always had complete faith in himself when doing anything physical. The only problem was he absolutely hated himself. All the way to the core Marco always felt that if maybe, just maybe, he hadn't had such a severe case of OCD people would have liked him. He knew it wasn't his fault, he knew it wasn't something he could change, and that's why he always felt so expendable.

There was so much he could do with his life but all he ever said was ' _why bother_ '?

Why bother joining a school sport when you'd never really be part of the team? Why bother joining a club when you'd never really be accepted? Why bother trying to make friends if they don't want to give you a chance? Why bother killing yourself when no one would care?

Why bother?

There was one wish Marco always had: to start over. Maybe if he could just meet someone who didn't know him yet, someone who hadn't been exposed to such insanity that is the experience of Marco Diaz, he could make them his friend. Who knows? It just might work

* * *

 **First time skip of this universe. Should go well.**

* * *

Something made Marco look out his window. He's still not sure what it was and never will be but something told Marco to check the window. Maybe it was intuition, maybe it was fate, maybe it luck, but Marco saw his wish come true that day.

Outside, in the driveway of the house just to the right of his, was a moving van.

And standing next to the supposed owners of this house was a girl. She looked about his age.

' _Perfect, killing two birds with one stone. I could rebuild my social status AND get myself a girlfri- one step at a time, Marco. One step at a time.'_

He couldn't see her face yet but she looked pretty nice from behind. Marco gave his silent approval from his room. She had a rather interesting choice in attire from what he could see past that thick golden bush she probably called hair. She had on a lot of purple: purples shoes, purple skirt that went about halfway down her thigh, and stockings striped in purple and pink. The shirt was hard to see from the distance but it looked light green with white sleeves.

But what was he doing still at his window? He should go say hi. Marco threw on his 'signature' red hoodie and headed down to the front door.

"Mom, I'm going to say hi to the new neighbors, I'll be back in a bit!"

Marco shut the door behind him as his mother peeked out of the kitchen. "New neighbors? What new neighbors?" She took a quick peek out the window. "Oh, we got new neighbors." It took her a few seconds and a double take to realize why Marco was being so friendly as to go say hi to these people. She mumbled to herself "You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking..."

Marco walked up behind the girl. She was accompanied by a woman, possibly her mother. The woman was much taller and had shorter hair that was a weird gray, almost light blue. They were watching as a rather short, squat man with the most amazing blonde beard Marco had ever seen was moving boxes in and out of the moving van.

"Don't throw out your back again, dear! You know what happened last time."

"Mom, I think we got a visitor."

She said it before Marco had even had a chance to say anything. She didn't even turn around first. Marco thought he had been pretty quiet, too. The mother turned around to look at who had stopped by to say hi.

"Oh, hello there. Who are you?"

"Hi, my name's Marco. I'm your neighbor, thought I'd stop by and maybe welcome you to the neighborhood."

"Oh, such a nice young man. Star, be polite and turn around. I know you know where he is."

The girl, Star, sighed and turned around to face Marco as well. Marco was caught in a bit of surprise.

Those eyes... they were so blank. That cloudy light blue that covered the iris and pupil was almost... haunting. She was blind. That's how she heard him before he had said anything. He couldn't say anything, all he could do was stare at those mesmerizing eyes. Those eyes, the eyes that see nothing. So ghastly, so blank. Marco felt nearly paralyzed.

"He's staring, isn't he?"

"Star! That's rude! I'm sorry, my daughter seems to have forgotten her manners. I'm sure you've realized that she is, well, blind. She can get a bit sensitive about it." The woman held out her hand to Marco. "Moon Butterfly."

Marco shook his head quickly and regained focus. He took the woman's hand and shook. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Like I said, my name's Marco. Marco Diaz."

Moon smiled at his response. "This rude girl's name is Star, if you haven't picked it up already. And that's my husband behind us, River."

River offered a "TALLEY-HO!" in a thick English accent as he jumped from the truck with another box. He landed and tripped on his own feet, leaving him sprawled on the ground behind the truck, the contents of the box strewn forward.

"RIVER, I SAID BE CAREFUL! Excuse me, I need to go help my husband."

She walked away leaving the two awkwardly standing off to the side of the driveway. Supposed minutes of silence ensued. Marco was a bit confused, she wasn't saying anything. Did she think he had walked away and just didn't bother to move? Why was she just standing there? Should he say something?

Star beat him to the decision. "I can hear you breathing, y'know. If you were trying to trick me into thinking you left then you're just an idiot."

"Wow, ouch, that kinda hurts. Actually I was just confused why you weren't talking."

"Sure. What do you want? I have to get back to not talking to you."

"Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?"

"You're not being too pleasant yourself, Mr. Smooth."

"I was just trying to be friendly and say hi to my new neighbors, maybe make a new friend."

Star rose her hand, waving it in front of herself. "No offense, Diaz, but I don't want to be your friend."

"What? Why not? I didn't even do anything wrong, this time."

"Yes, you did. You tried." She turned back around leaving Marco looking at the back of her head again. "Now go away."

"Wow, turning away the first person that tried to be your friend. I can only imagine you'll do that to everyone else you'll meet, too. You know, you're gonna need someone to help you out if you want to make it around school at all."

Star didn't say anything but she looked like she was thinking it over. She was actually considering it. This was a breakthrough for Marcos everywhere.

"Fine."

"Really?" He sounded way too excited about this than he should.

"But only for a little while, just until I can get around the school on my own."

"Oh... well, it's something."

Star turned back around and grabbed Marco by his shirt pulling him in close. She spoke through clenched teeth. "And if you even _think_ of taking advantage of me, if it's because I'm blind or a girl or whatever, I don't care, I will end you. Touch me without permission and I'll hit you without thinking."

Marco put his hands up in a mock bit of surrender, as if she could even see it. "You won't have to worry about that, I promise."

"Good." She let go of him. "Now leave, I have things to do."

"Jeez, pushy. You could ask nicely, you know." Marco started backing up towards his own house, hastily straightening out his hoodie.

"Don't push your luck, kid." Star turned her back once more.

Marco made it back to his door and pushed inside. "What a bitch..."

"Marco, honey, can I speak to you for a second?"

"Yeah, mom." He made his way into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Who was that you were talking to?"

"Uh... the neighbors? Didn't I tell you when I went out?"

"Yes, but I mean specifically who is that girl you were talking to?"

"Oh not this again."

"Yes, this again. You know why I'm worried."

"Mom, that won't happen again. She's only my friend, nothing else. Jackie was a crush, not a friend."

"Wait, you're friends so soon? Oh, Marco, I can't believe it! It's about time you made a friend."

Marco sighed and walked back the other way, heading for his room. He locked the door behind himself and laid down on his bed.

"This'll be fun..."

* * *

 _ **Haha, back in business baby! Welcome to the world of Blind!Star. It's gonna get a little weird, it's gonna get a little wild.**_

 _ **Blind!Star's not from 'round here, she's from another state.**_

 _ **So I took the idea of the Neighbor AU and meshed it in with aweirdlatina's Blind!Star AU. I tried to keep the personalities of the characters as close to those represented by the drawings in her tumblr. Is it a her? Has to be, she's a latin**_ **A _._**

 _ **Getting back into suggestions now. Really sorry I just kinda forgot about the coconut thing, whoever it was that suggested that, I can probably bring that one in here, if you want. Anyone got a good idea for the plot? It's not 100% written yet so I can always use a good pointer on where to go.**_


	28. Similarities in Opposites

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Quick warning: due to the personality of the characters there will be more cursing coming from both Star and Marco and maybe some of the other school kids (haven't decided on that last one yet). Anyway, a lot of you liked the idea for this AU, makes me happy. I have a few good ideas on where this should go so let's not delay too much a get right into this here story.**_

 ** _Right after these reviews, of course~_**

 ** _ChelJosh: 1) Just sayin', I ain't Father Time I'm the Time Skip Lord. There's a difference. Now that we have that cleared up I can say thank you so much for enjoying the story. Some people just can't except change but hey, what can you do? And no worries on the late read/review. You do what you gotta do. 2) (Still not Father Time) It could be Tom, it could be other people, it could have been everyone, who knows? I do but I can't tell you yet. We'll find out about Star's academic prowess later, just give it a bit of time._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Thanks, fam. Merry Christmas to you, too, and happy new year._**

 ** _Code Name - I am NRG: Thanks, that was exactly what I was going for. And you must be Rune's friend. Welcome welcome!_**

 ** _Guest Sorta: I ain't moody, I'm just snarky. More energy into things like, I dunno, her other senses. She's already demonstrated how good her hearing is and I will say (fun fact) her smell is pretty good, too. And don't be jumping the gun on this, nigga, that's an idea for another time. Actually though, I was playing around with that idea awhile ago and I think it maaaaaay appear in here as it's own AU._**

 ** _Thebeard92: Thanks, I can't wait to write it!_**

 ** _WiseOldHermit: Hey hey, looky who made it to the party._**

 ** _Li'l Sleuth: I mean, I don't play overwatch (it's tf2 but with waifus), but I'll do what I can to accomodate this suggestion. An accidental kiss, on the other hand, that I can do. In another chapter, though._**

 ** _Alright, enough of that, let the show begin!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 28**

 **Similarities in Opposites**

Marco sat at the computer in his room one fine, bright Saturday morning doing nothing except playing the new game he had just bought, Overwatch. No one was quite sure why he played this game, it wasn't all that good, but that was a mystery to be solved another time possibly by questioning a cosmic being named Sleuth on their taste in electronic gaming. Either way, he was having fun.

Aside from this all was peaceful in the Diaz household. His father was out working, he always seemed to be at work whenever Marco was at home, and his mother was watching a rerun of her favorite TV show in the living room. Nothing could possibly disturb the peace in this quiet little oasis. Nothing except a knock at the door which, at this point, should have been expected.

Mrs. Diaz opened the door to a surprise, the little neighbor girl was standing there. How Star had made it to the door without any help was anyone's guess but the fact that this wasn't her first time doing it alleviated a bit of the confusion. Star opened her mouth before Mrs. Diaz even had the chance to greet her.

"My mom wants to invite you over for dinner tonight."

"O-oh, uh, ok. I'll let the others know. What time?"

"Six thirty."

"Ok, thank you."

"Is Marco here?"

"Uh, yeah, he's upstairs. Marco! The neighbor's here for you!"

His voice called from upstairs. "What? Alright, send her up!"

Mrs. Diaz put a hand on the girl's shoulder to guide her to the room but Star shrugged it off, preferring to feel her way there instead. She had a good enough idea as to where she was going, what with Marco's voice still ringing in that direction. As Star made her way up the stairs Mrs. Diaz shook her head and returned to her program.

When Star opened the door to Marco's unnaturally tidy room he didn't even turn around, just kept on playing his game. "Hey, what's up?"

"My mom told me to go outside and get out of the house for a bit."

"So you came here? I'm flattered."

"It wasn't my first idea but I don't really feel like wandering out into the street or something like that right now. Honestly, getting hit by a car did sound like a good alternative at the time."

"No, I get it, anything is better than hanging out with me."

"Anything is better than hanging out with anyone."

"Damn, that's a vibe killer."

"So are you."

At this point Marco had finally turned away from the computer and spun in his chair to face the blind girl, who was now laying on the bed. "Jesus christ, what killed you inside?"

"Gee, I dunno, maybe it's the fact that I can't see. That might have something to do with it."

"You know, school doesn't start for another week. If you hate hanging around me so much you don't have to yet."

"I know, but I really don't feel like listening to my mom get angry."

"You do seem a little mellowed out today, what's the deal?"

"Oh, don't act like you care?"

"Fine, then, forget I asked."

There was a long silence between the two of them. These had gotten fairly common between the two of them but they had never ceased to be any less awkward than the first time. Star finally sighed after too long.

"I'm just not used to... this, ok?"

"Well, look who's softened up."

"Keep making remarks like that and I'll shut the hell right back up."

"Point taken. But you're not used to... what, exactly?"

"This. All this. Talking to people, willingly being accepted into someone else's house, having a 'friend' no matter how loosely that term is applied."

"Well, looks like we aren't all that different, then."

"Bull, there's no way."

"No, really. You have no friends, I have no friends, it's perfect. We can be lonely together."

"The thought makes me shiver."

"You're so miserable sometimes. It really makes me wonder what made you this way."

"What, like, legitimately? Don't even bother asking. I'm not telling."

"Oh come on, please? What if I go first?"

"Why would I take that offer?"

"Well, think of it as a blackmail opportunity. You'd want that, wouldn't you?"

Star took a second to think it over. "Alright, deal. You tell me your story I tell you mine. Then we move on and we never speak of this again."

Marco got up from his chair and made his way over to the bed. "I can live with that." He sat down next to Star.

"So when i say I can help you out making your way around school, it's only physically. I can't help you socially whatsoever. I haven't had an actual friend in... 3 years I think. Unless you count that one kid... nah, he hated me, too."

"So far so terrible."

"Oh shut up, I've never done this before. So you probably have no idea because, well, you can't see it but I'm a super neat freak. Nothing can ever be out of place. The clothes in my closet need to be organized and counted for, no room for dust to collect on anything, everything has its marked spot, even the people around me can't have any form of chaos."

"So you're super OCD, so what? There were plenty of those at my old school, big whoop."

"Not like me. I get... pushy at times. I lose my shit if anything is out of order in the slightest way. I've attacked people, I've screamed my lungs out for supposedly no reason, I'll probably end up spending an hour straightening out these bed sheets after you leave. People just started to avoid me, stopped talking to me. Smart choice on their part, I guess, but even people who 'understand' me don't understand me. And that's it. Life's been boring ever since you showed up and gave me the opportunity to, I dunno, straighten out."

"Wow, you really are a loser."

"Ok, fine then, what's your story?"

"Nah, you don't wanna hear that."

"No, yeah I do, we had a deal."

"Uuuuugh, fine." Star sat up from her position on the bed, eyes distant and blank as always. "I wasn't... I wasn't always blind. I wasn't born this way."

"What happened?"

"I'm getting to that, calm down!" Star rubbed her temples before continuing. "I don't really know. I don't remember what happened. My parents told me that it was a car crash and that I got glass in my eyes or something and needed surgery. They say it's a miracle they saved my eyes at all."

Marco looked over at Star and studied her eyes intently. "I dunno, they look alright to me."

"Yeah, I never believed them but I know that they're not actually going to tell me what happened if I even bothered to ask."

"So when _did_ you go blind?"

"Sixth grade. It happened in sixth grade. I used to have a lot of friends, a stupidly bubbly personality, shit like that. Then, out of no where, I go blind. Suddenly everyone thinks I'm some needy weirdo and they all try to help me out all the time with stupid things. They realized that they could take advantage of my... situation. Started coming to me for no reason asking if I needed anything, asking if they could help me with things, just to show off to the damn teachers. And the _second_ they got what they wanted they would drop me and just leave me lying where I was not knowing how to get around. They even started tripping me and shit for no reason!"

Star was getting visibly angry now, practically shaking with rage just from recalling her struggles. She was on her feet almost screaming.

"Even Tom, the _one_ guy I thought I could trust, even he turned on me! I took so much _shit_ from all those assholes that we had to move here! I swear I could just nnnnngggghhh!" She started making motions with her hands as if she were choking someone.

Marco got to his feet, approaching Star cautiously. He didn't want her erratic movements breaking anything. "Woah, woah, Star calm down. It's fine."

He placed a hand on her shoulder but she turned faster than Marco had ever seen someone move before and slapped his hands away. "Don't touch me!"

"Seriously, calm down. There's no need for this."

"Don't tell me to calm down! This is _exactly_ why I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to talk about this but you had to push it! I didn't want to talk to _you_ but you had to push it! I didn't want to be your friend but you just _haaaaaad_ to push it!"

"I didn't push anything. Look, I'm sorry your life is so shitty-"

"No, you aren't!"

"Yes, I am! Just calm down and I can help you."

"I don't need your help! I can handle myself fine!" Finally fed up with Marco, Star turned and stomped to the door, fumbling with the door knob for a bit. Marco went silent, not even bothering to stop her. She pounded her way out the door and walked straight into the wall behind it. "AGH! GOD DAMMIT!" She held her nose with one hand and held her other hand out in front of her, feeling her way to the stairs a little more carefully now. When she was finally out of the house Marco only shrugged and went on straightening the sheets on his bed.

* * *

 _ **Well that certainly... escalated. Uhhhh... here's a time skip?**_

* * *

"Rafael please don't do the thing while we're here. I don't want these people thinking we're weird."

"But I _am_ weird! Is that not cool anymore?"

"No, no, you're still cool, I promise! I just- they might not think so."

"Ok, I see your point."

The three Diaz's walked up to the Butterfly's front door, Mrs. Diaz with her famous casserole in her hand. Mr. Diaz knocked on the door with his meaty fist. When it opened Moon was there to greet them.

"Ah, you made it! I was afraid my daughter had forgotten to tell you."

"No, yeah, she remembered. Oh! I made this, it's good I promise."

Moon took the casserole from Mrs. Diaz's hands and gave it a little sniff. "Well it definitely smells good, I'll go put it on the table. Come in, come in."

Moon stepped to the side to let the others in. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz followed Moon through the house and out to the kitchen while Marco stayed back and looked around a little. Star didn't seem to be anywhere nearby but after that little tantrum he wasn't bothered by her absence. He heard his mother's voice call for him from the kitchen.

"Marco, come on, it's time to eat!"

"Coming!"

Marco sat down at the table, which was far too big for just the 3 people living in this house. On it was a few large plates. One held his mother's casserole, another held a large chicken, and a third had a large bowl filled with mashed potatoes. A gravy boat was set next to it. Star finally sat down at the table to join the feast after everyone else started helping themselves to the food in front of them. River took notice of his daughter's late arrival.

"Coming late to dinner again, I see. You could have at least tried to be polite this time."

Star said nothing and sat down in front of a plate her mother set aside for her. The rest of the dinner went by fairly smooth.

"Moon this chicken is so good! I have to know your secret."

"What's in this casserole? I don't think I've ever had anything like it before."

"So, Marco, I hear you've been spending a lot of time with my daughter."

"River, not now!"

"Rafael, what do you work in, again?"

"Oh, I have my own contracting company. Takes a lot of time from the family, y'know?"

"Moon, are you into that show, oh what's it called? Downton Abbey?"

"Oh, yes, I love that show!"

Through the entire dinner Star said nothing. In fact, she didn't even touch the food on her plate. Once the clinking of silverware on dishware had finally stopped she excused herself from the table and left again. Marco decided not to mention it to the others, who hadn't even seemed to notice yet, and just went on trying to keep the last drop of gravy away from what remnants of chicken he still had on his plate while making sure to wipe every last bit of his plate clean despite the weird looks the Butterfly's were giving him.

When the Diaz's were finally leaving Marco hadn't thought about Star for a full hour. Standing just outside the front door, however, he turned back to say goodbye and just caught sight of her, sitting at the top of the steps, eyes still distant and pointed at nothing inparticular. She offered a little wave as the door was closing. Marco almost waved back before realizing how stupid that would have been.

Marco laid down in his bed for the night, turning the lights off as he went. He stared up at the ceiling with one thing and one thing only on his mind. He spent the rest of that night trying to piece together what Star had told him earlier that day.

 _'Maybe it's best I don't bring up her past again.'_

* * *

 _ **Fuck, I've been playing a LOT of guitar hero lately and now my eyes hurt from that shit. I'm trying to beat Warriors of Rock on expert and now I have the note track imprinted on the inside of my eyelids. Someone help me end my life.**_

 _ **Anywho, hope you enjoyed. Next chapter coming not-soon-enough. I'm having a lot of fun writing out these two's relationship so I hope you're enjoying their little conversations as well.**_


	29. The Attic

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I'm back. I'm finally back and ready to knock your socks off once again. I figured if Nefcy's hiatus is over mine should end, too. The last two weeks worth of episodes sparked my writing drive once again. While I was gone my fic gained quite a bit of feedback, so that's pretty fricken nifty. It's been over 5 months now and we hit 200 reviews and 20k views. That's something nice to wake up to after literally dying for a month.**_

 _ **You know what else is nice? Responding to the reviews~**_

 _ **WiseOldHermit: Aw, thanks. I take pride in my time skips.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: Woah, man, I didn't even use the hard r. Calm it down.**_

 _ **IUcOzAdE: I love the blind!star au with a passion. Aw, you're too sweet. Thanks, man, means a lot.**_

 _ **Li'l Sleuth: 1) Well you were the one with the overwatch idea so you're welcome. Echolocation, huh? Alright, I'm definitely using that in a chapter and I know exactly where. Keep your eyes peeled for it. And trust me, you don't hate them yet. It's gon get worse. 2) Ok I'm back, do the thing that I don't remember. 3) Hey, I proof these! What are you even talking about?**_

 _ **Ki-tech: Thanks, man, it always means a lot when people express how deep they get into my stories.**_

 _ **jjmmmmmlol: Yeah, broken glass tends to cut things. Just thought you'd like to know. Yeah, I know what it's like to die for awhile. It get's betteraaaand he's out.**_

 _ **Beebop: I've been waiting for the next chapter for 40 YEARS!**_

 _ **And to all of you who told me to 'take my time' or wished me luck in my hobby I would like to extend an arm of gratitude to you. Thank you all for waiting and sticking around, let's jump back into this shit.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 29**

 **The Attic**

"Marco get off your computer! It's a beautiful day outside, go do something!"

"Awww, but mom I don't have friends!"

"You know that excuse doesn't work on me anymore! Get your butt outside and play with Star or something!"

Marco got up from his computer chair and forced his way down the stairs. He dragged his feet past his mother, grumbling the entire way. He threw the door open and grudged his way into the front yard. He sat down in what little shade he could find under the palm tree to escape the dreadful early September heat. Looking out into the street he began to think on just how empty the neighborhood felt. There were no cars in sight other than those parked in drive ways. The place was devoid of children, even the much younger ones. It looked as though everyone was staying inside where the air conditioning could shield them from the harsh realities of extreme heat. It made Marco sigh that he was the only one being forced to sit in this weather. Could this constitute child abuse...?

"You're stuck out here, too, huh?"

Marco looked up from his seated position and saw Star standing by the tree and looking out into the street. Or more just facing it. How she managed to find him and make her way around so easily baffled him still. He just never bothered to ask her about it, it always seemed rude.

"Yeah, my mom kicked me out of the wonders of the AC"

Star sat down by Marco, who scooched over to make room for her in the shade. "I hear ya. My parents just left to do god knows what and locked me out. They said I should go find you or something, I dunno I wasn't listening."

"You never listen, do you?"

"What's the point, not like they're saying anything valuable."

Marco decided against questioning Star's parent's logic on leaving a blind child outside to fend for herself once again. "So we're both stuck out in this heat, huh?"

"Not necessarily. I found a way back in the house a week ago. C'mon, let's go inside." Star stood back up and dusted off her pants.

Marco followed suit. "But what if your parents come home and find us? Won't your mom be mad?"

Star started walking back towards her house. "You don't actually care, do you?"

"No, I guess not." Marco caught up and walked next to her.

Star shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts as the two walked on silently, awkwardly. She led him into the back yard and up to the back face of the house. She got down onto her knees and pulled the branches of a shrub back to reveal a small window low to the ground.

"I'll hear them coming."

"What?"

"That's how I'll know when to leave, I'll hear them coming." She opened the window and climbed inside. Feeling that Marco wasn't following she added "What? You asked."

"Oh, right. Yeah I guess that works." Marco got down and slid through the window and into the room on the other side.

He looked around at the dark, damp room they had just dropped into. There were some cardboard boxes stacked up in various places and the un-carpeted floor was hard and rough. Marco couldn't help but feel as though the place was full of spiders.

"We still haven't finished unpacking so just try not to knock anything over."

Marco snapped, he couldn't stand thinking about it anymore. "Are all blind people this good at making their way around? It's like you're not even blind."

"I wouldn't know." Star led Marco through the room and over to the old wooden stairs on the other side. "I've never met another blind person."

Marco rubbed some dust and dirt off his shirt as they made it to the top floor. "How, uh, how long _have_ you been blind for? Your entire life or..."

Star just offered an uninterested shrug. "C'mon, let's go to my room." She turned and began walking away. "It's probably messy, it felt like there was a lot on the floor this morning."

"Fine by me."

They were just outside Star's room when Marco noticed the hatch on the ceiling just above them. Then he heard it. That terrible gurgling. The hypnotizing, static, unchanging gurgling. Almost like the monsters that used to live in his closet and under his bed, that same never ending terror that only pushes the curiosity of a boy who lost the will to fear long ago. It was a monster's heavy breathing, thick with saliva, as if beckoning him to go up.

"Hey, Star? Do you use your attic for anything?"

"What attic?"

"Well, I guess that answers that question. Gimme a boost real quick, will ya?"

Star thought about it a second. "Well, not how I planned this day going but could be fun."

She got down on the ground and interlocked her fingers. Marco stepped up on her hands and reached up for the handle of the hatch as Star lifted up with a bit more effort than she had expected.

"Damn, Marco, how fat are you?"

"Oh shut up." He grabbed the handle and the hatch opened without any coercing. He pulled himself up through the hole and lowered his own hand back down. "Jump up, I'll grab you."

Star stood back up and jumped, thrusting her hand above her head. Their grasps connected and Marco pulled her up through the hatch.

"Damn, Star, how f-"

"If you finish that sentence I'll stab you."

He shut his mouth as fast as possible.

Marco took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, looking around at the dusty, cobweb filled room. The ceiling was low and sloped just as the roof looked outside and there were various items cluttering the floor. Items you would expect to find in an attic: an old wooden rocking horse, an ornate mirror, some boxes with clothes spilling out the top, creepy old pictures whose eyes follow you around the room.

Star started wandering around, hands outstretched.

Marco noted the cobwebs scattered throughout. "I thought you guys just moved in."

"We did."

"Then why are there so many spiderwebs and why is it so dirty up here?"

"I don't know, man, maybe my parents just didn't bother cleaning up. What _is_ all this stuff, anyway."

"Just a bunch of boxes, paintings, and old junk. Actually this old mirror is pretty cool." Marco walked up to the mirror, examining himself. "I think it's made of actual silver."

He lifted a hand up and reached out for the face of the mirror. He didn't even make contact before he felt the mirror touch back. It was almost like a static shock but a lot less powerful. Almost like a drip of water had fallen onto the tip of his finger sending chills throughout his body. He pulled his hand away, grasping it in the other. He slowly backed away from the mirror, turning back to where his friend had gone to. She looked like she was listening to something.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That... breathing."

Marco immediately ran over to Star, knowing exactly what she was talking about. When he made it over to her side he heard it again, the same gargled breath from before. Star pointed up to a box sitting at the top of a stack of others just like it.

"It's coming from there."

Marco nodded and carefully reached for the box. He was on his tip-toes and nearly fell backwards pulling it down. He laid the box down on the ground and opened it. Inside he saw something that looked like a crystal, a bright blue sapphire, mounted at the end of a short staff. It kind of reminded him of magic wands he'd seen in computer games he had played before. Not learning from his previous mistake Marco reached out for the object in the box. The same thing happened as with the mirror only this time it was to a larger magnitude and the crystal gave off a bright flash of blue light. He jumped back with a girlish scream. Star smirked at the sound and chuckled almost inaudibly. Marco caught this and smiled a bit, it was the first time he had really seen her smile.

"So what's in the box that would make you squeal like that?"

"I- I dunno. I really don't wanna say it but I think it's... a magic wand?"

Star's smirk faded. "A wand? Really?"

"No seriously! Touch it, you'll see! It... shocked me or something."

"Tch, sure."

Star reached down into the box and felt around until her pinkie hit the handle of the wand. She wrapped her hand around it and lifted it up.

"Magic, sure-" She was cut off by a slight vibration and a bright flash of white light. "What-"

"I told you!"

Star's eyes began to light up and her hair started levitating upwards. Marco's face grew into an expression of terror as he began shuffling backwards on his hands and back.

"S-Star?"

She lifted the wand up above her head and they both sat there motionless for a few seconds as the light from the wand continued to get brighter and brighter. Soon the wand dropped from Star's hand, completely changed in appearance, but Star made no movement. Her hand stayed raised in the air as her face looked into nothingness in a strange mix of wonder and terror. Marco crawled back over to her.

"What... what just happened?"

"I could see..."

* * *

 **You know what's great about about time skips? Everything. Simply everything.**

* * *

Star and Marco sat in her room, gathered over the wand that laid on an old blanket they took from the attic. It looked entirely different, it was mostly pink now but instead of a blue crystal at the top in was a large bulb with wings on either side and a large yellow star in the middle.

"Well it's certainly... you."

"What? The hell's that supposed to mean? What's it look like?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. What do you think it is?"

"I think it may be a magic wand. I didn't want to believe it but..."

"So you admit I was right, huh?" Marco smirked at her, as if she could have seen it.

"Your words, not mine. I'm still too taken aback to be condescending."

"Why do you think I can't touch it?"

"No idea, maybe you're too much of a wimp to handle it."

"You seem to be less taken aback now."

"Shut up, I'm trying to process thi-" Star froze, listening. "Shit! RUN!"

She rolled the wand up in the blanket, shoved it under her bed, and booked it out of the room. Marco caught on to what she meant by now and dashed after her. Marco didn't bother thinking on how Star was making her way through the house so easily at this point, he was only focused on getting to the basement before that front door opened. He heard the lock click right as they closed the basement door.

"When we get outside pretend like we were playing in my backyard or something."

"Playing what?"

"I don't fucking know, just something! Tag I guess, whatever."

They scrambled their way out of the basement window and into the back yard. Star stopped to catch her breath real quick and Marco took a look around.

"I think we're in the clear. I don't think they noticed us."

"Good." Star stood up straight and, without turning her head, slapped Marco in the back of the head. "Tag."

"Ow, c'mon that wasn't necessary." Marco rubbed the spot she slapped.

"Well? Aren't you gonna tag me back?"

"How are you gonna run away though? This seems like a really big flaw."

"Oh just try."

"Alright, then..." Marco took a step forward and reached out for her shoulder.

The second he stepped, however, Star spun around his arm and out of the way.

"Wha- bu- how?"

"What's the matter? Can't tag a blind girl?" Her face still had that same uninterested, almost angry expression it always had.

Marco's face grew determined and he spun around, swinging his arm for her. She ducked under it skillfully.

"What in the goddamn?"

"You're awful at this, aren't you?"

"Hold still, dammit!"

Marco started to grow restless, swinging every which way trying to tag this slippery salamander. They were spinning around the yard, now, in a constant and endless state of swinging and dodging. River noticed this from the back door and called out to them.

"Oy! You two alright out there?"

They stopped and looked over at the tiny man. Star nodded. "Just playing tag."

"Oh. Well have fun!" As they went back to their constant struggle River shook his head. "That poor boy."

Meanwhile, back at the Diaz residence, Mrs. Diaz watched the two children from her kitchen window. "What are they doing? Are they fighting? Oh god, not again."

Marco eventually fell on the ground, giving up from exhaustion. "Welp *huff* I guess I lose."

Star flopped down next to him. "That's 'cause you're bad."

"No, you're crazy! How did you learn to do that!?"

"Well when you're blind as long as I've been you tend to rely on the rest of your senses."

"Damn, that's crazy. You're crazy. Today was crazy."

Star let out the best laugh she could muster, which ended up being a chuckle that was slightly louder than last time. "You're alright, Diaz."

Marco smiled along with Star as the two looked up at the sky.

"Thanks."

* * *

 _ **I'm gonna go get caught up on all the new chapters to some good fics I missed while I was out. Didn't even get the chance to read...**_


	30. Alone

**_Ok, ya dicknuts. That never gets old, I swear, it's been 30 chapters and I've always started it with that plus all my other stories and I chuckle every time I write it. Anyway, chapter 30 hittin' ya all with that good shit. I'd count this as a milestone, too, but fuck that noise I'm lazy._**

 ** _Anyway, not much to say so I'll let the reviews do the talking~_**

 ** _RobLebron: Hey, man, that's spoiler talk there that is yesuh it sure is. Indeed it is. I ain't tellin' you shit, meng. Dems be spoilers. Yessir._**

 ** _lightyearpig: I dunno. I don't think Star knows, either._**

 ** _IUcOzAdE: Thanks, man, I hope so too._**

 ** _HiatusQueen (formerly Anonymims): Kind words as always, friend, glad you came back. Haven't seen you in the reviews section in... a lot of chapters. I was gonna count but that's work and I don't actually care that much. You stay cool, too, mah bruthah sistah fam thingymabobershutupI'mtryinghereIdon'tevenknowanymore._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Has it really been that long? Damn, I must've lost count when I died. Can't neuter me if I don't have a dick, faggot! HA!_**

 ** _Guest Sorta: Currently my favorite line in any of my stories and will forever be that way._**

 ** _MarcornDiaz: OK I WILL YOU BEAUTIFULLY NAMED PERSON! I LOVE IT TOO AS DO MANY OTHERS I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE SATISFIED WITH HOW IT TURNS OUT!_**

 ** _Why is everyone callin' me bud? Is this a new thing? Am I missing something?_**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

 **Alone**

"That's it? Just 'thanks'?" Star put on her best Marco impression for that.

"What do you mean? Was that wrong?"

"Dammit, Marco, I open up to you and that's the best you got?" Star stood back up off the ground. "Put a bit more effort in, like, what do you think this is?" She stormed off back into her house leaving Marco bewildered and covered in grass.

He shook his head. "She'll never change."

Marco got up from the lawn and made his way back to his own house, still sweating terribly from the heat. When he made it back inside his mother took notice of his teenage boy stench.

"Marco! Oh my god, get in the shower!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

* * *

 **Short little intro made just for this time skip.**

* * *

Marco walked into his bedroom, towel around waist, and made his way to the dresser. He took out another red hoodie out of a pile of 8 others neatly folded in the top drawer. A pair a jeans, dry socks, red hoodie, a flash of light, and the power was out. He could have sworn he heard a faint 'god dammit' from the neighbor's house. He dropped the towel from his head as he was drying his hair, immediately picked it back up and put it in the hamper, and looked out the window. Odd, the sun had just set but there was no storm, let alone any wind. What could have caused the power outage?

"Marco, come light some candles! I'm gonna go check the fuse box."

Marco did as he was told and eventually met his mother in the basement with a candle in hand.

"Shine the light over this way, I can't see a thing."

Once Mrs. Diaz got the lights back on, which was met with a small bit of celebration, Marco put out the candle and went back upstairs. He had a faint idea what had just happened and planned to question her tomorrow before school.

* * *

 **These time skips are gonna be a bit more regular this chapter. You're welcome.**

* * *

"Here's money for lunch for the next few days. Please only spend it on lunch this time."

"Alright fine, I promise."

"Good boy."

Mrs. Diaz kissed her son goodbye and watched as he headed down to the bus stop. Marco stopped next to Star who was already out by the side of the road. She held a long white cane, one Marco hadn't seen her hold before. He wisely decided that asking her about it would be equivalent to scheduling his own funeral.

"Well, you're out here early."

"My god, you have to comment on everything don't you?"

"Woah, damn, you're not a morning person are you?"

She just grumbled in response.

"Right... Oh, I wanted to ask you. That was you yesterday, wasn't it?"

"I get curious when I'm mad and I was mad last night."

"Not what I would have expected out of you."

"Yeah it- it's powerful. The wand, that is. All I did was touch it, I didn't even hold it like last time."

"Ah, don't sweat it. We'll figure it out eventually."

"We? You don't need to get involved."

"Hey, I helped find it _and_ my life needs something interesting in it. Can you blame me if I don't want to stay out of it?"

"And here I thought I was interesting enough for you pathetic life."

"You're no crown jewel either, princess."

Star grabbed the front of Marco's hoodie with speed resembling that from yesterday's tag game. She spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't. You. _Ever._ Call me that again."

Marco pushed her hand off of his clothes and turned back towards the road. "Note taken."

* * *

 **Another time skip, just as promised. You may resume worship at your earliest convenience.**

* * *

Marco stepped off the bus and took a few steps forward before stopping to wait for the other one, letting everyone else pass. Star followed the constant thud of everyone else's feet off the bus. Once she was out in the open she started to utilize the white cane. Marco decided to call over to the blind one.

"I'm over here."

Star nodded and walked over to Marco who turned and began walking towards the school.

Star scowled. "Remember this is only until I can make my way around myself. Then we don't know each other, we never met, we're not friends. Got it?"

"What ever you say, I'm just here for the brownie points."

"That's not what you said that time in your room."

"I don't know what time you're talking about, was it the same time you got a little open with your past. Because if that's the same one-"

"I see your point, asshole."

Marco led Star towards their homeroom while smirking to himself, dictating where he was going and what the school looked like the entire time. Star felt degraded once again, having to have her every move given to her and having someone describe what was around her. She felt belittled, and Star did not like feeling belittled.

They walked into the classroom with plenty of time to spare. They took their seats and Marco began to explain how the day was going to work.

"So your mom talked to the principal and had you put in every one of my classes and all that, since I'm still the only one you know." He took out his schedule and studied it for a second. "We have chemistry next-" His face fell. "On the other side of the school. Fantastic."

"Why's that so bad?"

"We'll have to head through B wing. The front end of it bottlenecks after every period, and we have to go that way if we want to make it to class on time."

"So it'll be a bit slower, whoopty-fuckin'-do."

"True. After that it's a couple more academic classes and then study hall. Thankfully we don't have gym until second semester."

"Wait, co-ed gym classes? We didn't have that at my last school."

"Yeah, not every school does that. You probably won't even be participating, what with being blind and all."

"Don't remind me."

"After that we have lunch, Math, then English. Easy day."

"I'm ecstatic."

* * *

 **I don't even need a time skip here but consistency is key so... yeah. Here you go.**

* * *

"Try to keep up, we may be able to beat it if we go fast enough."

"Hey, slow down! I can only go so fast."

"Do you need me to hold your hand?"

"Shut up, shithead! I'll make you eat those words."

Marco chuckled to himself until he saw the hallway ahead of him. "Dammit, traffic jammed already. Stay close to me, Star, there's a lot of people here."

"Pffft, I'm fine. I don't need you to baby me."

"Fine, be that way. But when you get lost and make us late it's your fault."

"Will you stop worrying? You're so annoying like that, I swear."

There was no response from Marco. Star kept trudging along, assuming he just didn't want to comment on that. Finally, not really wanting to get lost in a space she wasn't familiar with, she called out to him.

"Marco? Am I still going in the right direction?"

Still no response. All she could hear was the eternal chatter of the crowd around her. Pure nothingness with an air of everlasting noise pounding in the back of her head. She was lost, no idea where to go now.

"M-Marco? If this is some kinda joke I really am gonna *urk*-hurt y-y-you."

Her voice was wavering now and yet still no answer from her herder. Were people looking at her? Were people staring again, snickering at her helplessness? The thought only pushed her farther into darkness. Where was Marco? Why did he leave? Did he finally have enough of her aggressive nature and take off, ditching her just like those before?

"Marco! Marco, where are you!?"

"Are you lost, little girl?"

That voice, it was familiar.

"Have you lost your mom?"

No. Not this again. The memories started flooding back in, filling her senses with a false reality. The grocery store, she wandered off for only a second. That darkness, that endless clatter of people talking, talking, speaking of nothing. Nothing made sense, only fear. She tripped and fell on the ground, her long white cane flinging from her hand.

"Stop! Marco! Marco, where- where are you? Please!"

Someone knocked into her side, knocking the wind out of her. They said something but it made just as much sense as everything else around her. Was that laughing? They were laughing at her now, they knew she was weak. It was her last school all over again. Everything was lost. She was alone again. She didn't want to be alone, she wanted to go back to how things used to be.

She continued to call out to Marco and yet still there was nothing. There were tears in her eyes, she could feel them slide down her cheek. She was crawling now, crawling away from the crowd, crawling away from the terror. Her head hit the wall and she turned around, sitting with her back against it.

"Marco... Marco please... Come back..."

"Star?" The noise of the hallway muted. "There you are."

It was Marco, it was undeniable. She felt around with her hands until she found his legs to her right.

"MARCO!" She wrapped herself around his legs, still crying. "Marco, where did you go!? I thought you had left..."

"Woah!" Marco was surprised by the sudden change in Star's attitude. He could only imagine what happened. "Star, what are you doing? We were separated for 30 seconds."

"What? No, it had to have been longer than that." She sniffled, trying to dry her tears before he realized.

"Star are you... crying?" Too late.

"Wh-what? No! No, of course not. I don't cry, you know that."

"You're hugging my legs."

"R-right." She let go and attempted to stand up, shakily.

"Are you sure you're alright, you look really sick. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

"Nurse? No! No nurse, not that. Let's just, get to cl- ah!"

Her legs gave out. Marco managed to catch her just in time. "You're not alright. You need medical attention."

"I said no! We're going to be late."

"I don't care, I'm getting you to the nurse. C'mon, let's- what happened to your cane?" Marco noted the white cane snapped in half laying on the floor in front of them.

"What? What happened?"

"It broke in half."

"Oh no, my mom's gonna kill me for that."

As the hallway began to clear and empty Marco helped Star to the nurse's office. He didn't dare let go of her once the entire time fearing she may collapse at any second.

* * *

 **Pretty nasty, right? Yeah, that's gonna haunt them later.**

* * *

"She had a panic attack. What happened that got her this bad?" The nurse dabbed a damp washcloth on a now unconscious Star's forehead.

"I don't know. We were separated in B wing not even for 30 seconds and when I found her she was on the ground calling for me."

"Infamous B wing bottleneck, huh? Poor thing, what a terrible way to start out in a new school."

"So what's gonna happen to her?"

"Well, she's running a high fever and it's hard to imagine how she didn't vomit all over the hallway. I'll call her parents later, she's going to have to go home for the rest of the day."

Marco just nodded. He almost felt bad for thinking it but he was kind of relieved. No more nasty Star attitude for the rest of the school day and he didn't need to worry about toting the girl around. The perfect way to really focus on learning his own schedule and getting a good understanding of the syllabus for each class.

"You should probably head back to class now. Don't want you getting in trouble on your first day, now, do we?"

"Yeah, you're probably right."

And with that, Marco was gone again.

* * *

 **I told you there were going to be a lot of time skips in this one. You callin' me a liar? Last one I promise.**

* * *

"Marco!"

Star sat up violently in the back seat of the Diaz's car. Mrs. Diaz turned around and put a hand on Star, who was heavily breathing.

"Woooaaah, calm down, Star. Everything's fine."

"Where am I?"

"You're in our car. Your parents were working so the school called us to come get you."

"But... why? Why did I need to leave at all?"

"Oh, you don't remember a thing do you? You passed out in the nurse's office after a little freak out in the halls. Everything's fine now, though, you don't need to worry."

"Oh... ok, that's good." Star laid back down on the back seat. "Where's Marco?"

"He's still at school, there wasn't any real reason to pull him out."

"Great." Star shut her eyes again and waited for them to arrive at her house.

The ride only took another couple minutes. They pulled up to the Diaz's house and Star gave a little lurch as the car came to a stop. Mr. Diaz was known to be a bit of an erratic driver, though he insisted otherwise to sometimes a rather aggressive extent. They led Star from the vehicle and into the house, situating her on the couch.

"Wait, this isn't my house. It smells entirely different."

"No, we're bringing you to our house until your parents get off work. Can't leave a sick child home alone after all."

Mr. Diaz went off to the kitchen while Mrs. Diaz stayed behind. "You just get comfy here, alright? Don't even think about doing anything, we're gonna take care of you."

Star was already asleep again, this time snoring ever so quietly. Angie made her way back to the kitchen to talk with her husband.

"Raf, did you hear what she said when she woke up in the car?"

Rafael chuckled. "Yes, I did. And it was adorable."

"Wha- no! Do you know what this means?"

"Marco may have a girlfriend soon? And then grandbabies?"

"No! I mean yes, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. The girlfriend thing, not the grandbabies."

"Why are you so worried? This is perfect, Marco will be so happy again."

"I don't think so. You remember what happened last time, I don't want Marco slipping further into this pit he's put himself into. And we can't really afford therapy."

"So let them be happy, problem solved."

Angie sighed and looked out into the living room where Star was. "I don't think it'll be that simple." She turned back to Rafael. "I'm scared for him."

* * *

 _ **Fuck, I forgot how fun writing is. Glad I'm back in the game.**_

 _ **HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK I JUST WATCHED JUST FRIENDS AND EVERYONE HATES IT AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT WAS FANTASTIC for awhile I wasn't sure whether or not Star**_ **knew _she liked Marco but god damn it's obvious now. She knows, there's no doubt about it. And then they played the song from friendenemies and god damn that was the best call back they could have down holy fuckin shit-_**


	31. Apologies

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I'm trying my hand at that psychological horror type shit. I think it worked out in the last chapter, yeah?**_

 _ **So did the reviews~**_

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Fuck shit fuck fuck ass tiddies! How did I miss that? Just goes to show ya, on the internet you can use your and you're correctly all you want but the second you use it wrong someone points it out. Always. That sounds like a good life to me, btw._**

 ** _Guest Sorta: What the fuck tipped you off, god dammit? No, for someone who's a high school senior I happen to swear a very usual amount._**

 ** _IUcOzAdE: Oh, don't worry. Marco's gonna have one hell of a backstory. And when I say 'one hell of a backstory' I really mean "I mean he lived for, like, 14 years. That's a story, right?" Are you trying to annoy me by calling me bud? I really don't care I was just pointing it out._**

 ** _Gonna introduce a new character early on in this chapter so you can thank me later._**

* * *

 **Chapter 31**

 **Apologies**

Marco walked through the cafeteria with a tray of milk and pizza. He grabbed a few napkins on his way to his 'reserved' seat. Sitting down at the table in the corner of the large room Marco looked over his overly greasy pizza. He took the napkin and began dabbing it, getting as much unwanted substance off of his food as humanly possible. He was just bringing it up to his mouth as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Being so unused to this promise of attention Marco dropped his pizza.

On the floor.

He sighed, knowing exactly what this was supposed to mean. He put his hand in his pocket and silenced the ringing phone. Noticing that something else was missing he decided to address this hooligan disturbing his meal time.

"Janna, come on. It's the first day, do we have to do this now?"

Janna's stupid smirking face slid up from under the table and sat in the singular seat across from him. "Well, we're not in any of the same classes so I thought it'd be best to make up for lost time early on."

Marco looked down at his pizza on the floor, sauce and cheese splattered everywhere. "I hate you. I really do."

"Yeah, well you wouldn't be able to live with out me."

"Can't argue with that. You pushed me over the edge past suicidality."

"Didn't even know that was possible."

Marco got down from his chair and removed the dirty pizza from the ground. He placed it back on the tray and began to wipe up the sauce with the grease covered napkin. "Can I have my wallet back now?"

"Hold on, I'm almost done."

Marco could only imagine what that could mean. Finally feeling slightly satisfied with the job he had done Marco sat back in his seat. The first thing he noticed was his milk. It was opened, empty, and next to Janna.

"And there goes my lunch."

His wallet suddenly soared over the table and into his chest. Janna got up from the table. "I'll be looking through your shit later. You really gotta stop leaving your passwords in your wallet."

"Well, you're the only one that ever sees them so I really don't care." He put the wallet back in his pocket. "Can you leave me be, now?"

"Certainly. I'll leave you to your meal- oh wait!" Janna burped. "There's the last of it."

Marco said nothing.

"You're such a killjoy, you know that?" She turned and started walking away, calling back for one last remark. "Your life would be meaningless without me."

Marco mumbled under his breath. "I beg to differ." He began rummaging through his backpack. He grabbed his book and leaned back in his chair. Looking up he caught a quick glance of some short, silvery hair with a light blue streak on the other side of the cafeteria. He thought back to a time almost two years ago. He shook his head. "My life is dominated by women."

* * *

 **Janna's back, everybody! Hail! Wait, not that much! Save some hail for the time skips!**

* * *

Marco removed the earbuds from his ears as the bus came to a stop. He got up and walked off just as he had in the morning, with no real attention from any of the other occupants. His mind was racing again just as it was before he had gotten on the bus. The music had helped for awhile to dull the irritating thoughts but it had no lasting effects in dulling his overactive thought process after the fact.

He thought back to Janna and his history with her. She was the main bully in his life, and that had stemmed into a weird relationship to date. He thought back to Jackie and his history with her, which ended up being nothing but him thinking about her for as long as he could remember and her never actually even noticing him. Until that one time, of course... He shook the thought out of his head. Then he thought to his mom. She had been more overbearing than usual ever since he met Star. It was like she didn't want them to be friends, but he knew what she was really going after.

And then there was Star. The one who refused to talk to him like a human being and yet still bothered to give him the time of day. The one who just shows up at his house under the excuse that she had been told to go outside. The one he had found an actual magic wand with. The one who had a mental breakdown in the halls earlier that day just because she had been left alone for less than a minute. What was up with that, Marco could only dream to someday understand.

He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately seeing the visitor on his couch. Speak of the devil.

"Star? What are you doing here?"

"Your parents brought me here since mine are working." She was laying on the couch on her side, facing the TV but not actually watching it for obvious reasons.

Marco sat down next to her on the couch and saw Full House playing. "You like this show?"

"Not really, I just don't feel like changing it. It _is_ kinda entertaining, though, just listening to it."

Marco nodded to himself. He really didn't feel like bringing up what had happened between them today though he felt like it was going to come up eventually no matter what. Maybe if he waited long enough she would do it for him.

It took a few minutes of silence before that wish became a reality. "You wanna... talk about it?"

"Not really."

Star sighed. "You know what, I'm going to take responsibility for once in my life. We really need to talk about it, awkward or not."

"Why? You trying to 'save our friendship' or somethin'? I thought we weren't friends."

"I know I know, I just- I'm- I only wanted to- fuck it... I'm sorry, Marco, I really am."

"Star Butterfly? Apologizing? I thought I'd never see the day."

"Will you take this seriously!? This isn't exactly easy."

"I am taking it seriously, I'm just being practical."

"You're being sarcastic. I just had a mental breakdown in front of half the school-"

"No one noticed except me."

Star glared at him with her dead eyes. "For once in my life a little comfort from a friend would be nice."

"You know," Marco's face had yet to contort from the same emotionless, indifferent expression he had worn all day. He leaned back on the couch. "I tried giving you that a week ago. I tried giving you that yesterday. That's the difference between the two of us, I've actually tried. And I know you've made your feelings on this friendship clear but every time I tried to comfort you before you'd always get angry and scream at me or just brush me off like I'm nothing. And I may be nothing but you can't just come expecting pity from me now."

Marco never noticed but a single tear had been shed from Star. Despite this she let out a small chuckle. "I knew this wouldn't last. I knew this was how I would ruin it. Just one freak out to finally push you over the edge."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is it, our 'friendship' or whatever you could call it is done."

"Who said anything about that?"

"But you just said-"

"I said I wasn't going to pity you. I never said we weren't friends anymore. Lord knows the last thing I need is to lose you."

Star bit her top lip and turned her head down towards the couch. "Thank you."

Marco's curiosity from earlier finally got the better of him. "So what _did_ happen, anyway? What made you freak out like that?"

Star stayed silent. The last thing she wanted to do was reveal any more weakness to anyone.

"C'mon, Star, it's not gonna get better if you don't talk about it."

"Marco, do you know what it's like to constantly live in a state of fear?"

"No."

"I'm blind. I have no idea what's around me, I rarely know what's going on, I've prepared myself the best I can but even still I feel so... so vulnerable. I feel so helpless and isolated." She sat up from her position, her face still pointed at the ground. "I'm still scared. It's been almost 3 years but I'm still scared."

"What does this have to do with earlier today?"

"Wha-" Star turned to face the boy. "What are you, retarded? The one person I trust in the slightest lost me in a crowd. I flipped out. It's not that hard to figure out."

"Fair point." Marco stood up from the couch. "Well, this little chat has been fun but I'm bored now. I'm going up to my room. Enjoy the show, I guess?"

"I probably won't."

"Didn't think so." Marco headed up to his room without another word, leaving star on the couch. Just around the corner, unknown to either of them, Mrs. Diaz had been listening to them from the kitchen.

She muttered to herself. "I need to stop this train wreck before either of them get hurt anymore than they already have."

Marco booted up his computer and got ready to do some gaming. The first thing he noticed when he opened up Steam, however, was a blatant lack of money.

"God dammit, Janna."

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the short chapter, guys, I know it isn't much but it was a good breaking point.**_

 _ **Gee, Bill, your mom lets you have**_ **three _chapters a week? You must be lucky._**


	32. A New Perspective

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Guess who's finally fucking back. That's right: me. Sorry about disappearing like that for 4 months, I went to Afrika to learn about their culture and become more mentally in-tune with the plights of the Afrikan people and be a lot more racially unbiased in my life.**_

 _ **LOL jk I still don't care about black people. Or white people. Or any people for that matter. I was working at a camp all summer in the mountains and had little to no internet connection. But I'm back home, started school again, and ready to really crack that whip on those nig- chapters. Yeah, chapters. That's it. That's what I meant.**_

 _ **So let's get through some reviews right quick why don't we? There's a lot of them~ (probably answered some of these before but fuck it, let's go again)**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: 1) Nah, man, Bill's a meme. It's that '**_ **Gee, Bill, your mom let's you have** ** _two_** **wieners?** ** _' meme. 2) Soul tape would be great right about now._**

 ** _IUcOzAdE: 1) I don't remember what was going on here so I'm going to ignore most of that conversation and say thanks. (little did you know that the next chapter would be 4 months later hehehehe) 2) So all of that is actually true. We are in fact renewed for a 4th season. Let's do this shit._**

 ** _ScanixonGaming: Hell yeah, gonna get fat Harry Potter on the scene for a guest appearance. It's gonna be great!_**

 ** _TheEquestrianidiot 2.0: 1) So you were actually the first person to favorite this story and I find it amusing how you're just starting now. Or, 4 months ago. Eh whatever. 2) Hippies can use magic in their own special way through the power of cannabis. Maybe he's not that far from the truth._**

 ** _car213: 10/10? Really? I thought that ending was actual shit but fuck if you loved it then that's all that matters. Thanks man._**

 ** _ChelJosh: "I'll wait for your update" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAhereyougo_**

 ** _TheRealCartoonManiac: Thanks, I try. I feel like something's really paying off here._**

 ** _Gokan123: Sometimes I forget that this is my first real story type thing and surprise myself._**

 ** _amythestblade: Did that fic never actually happen? Whoops._**

 ** _Celebrity martyr: 1) nah 2) nah_**

 ** _ArtOfBreaking429: Thanks, I love how this has turned out, too. And I love what I have planned for this. I'm actually glad you noticed that thing about the OCD, glad someone noticed, anyway. Keep that in mind for later, I promise it'll come back._**

 ** _Guest: Ah, finally, pleas of sex from a fan. I was wondering when this would happen._**

 ** _ssboodlal: A whole month? HOW ABOUT 4!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA YOU THOUGHT. And no, I'm never going to abandon this great creation forever. I know what it's like to get really into something only to have it cut off halfway through just because the creator said "fuck it, I'm bored". Unless I die, I'll always find the time to update eventually._**

 ** _absent: K_**

 ** _Alright, thank you all for sticking around during that rather long commercial break. Let's get back into the action!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 32**

 **A New Perspective**

Marco stood waiting for the bus with Star as the day began. The sun had come up normally, Star hadn't threatened to murder him yet, and there wasn't any messes for him to freak out over yet. The day felt a bit too easy and Marco knew better than to assume the best of school. He felt a small tug on his shirt that made him turn to the girl beside him.

"What's up?"

"I need you to come to my house after school today. Got something to show you."

"What is it?"

"The wand. It's done something amazing and I need a second opinion on what it means."

"Stop being so cryptic and tell me what happened."

"I just... I have to show you first." She seemed genuinely happy about this. It was a completely new look for Star as a slight smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. It concerned Marco.

"Well, alright. I'll take your word for now. But I swear to god if you're trying to lure me into some kind of trap-"

"Nonononono, no trap. I promise. Kind of warranted but no, this is actually something good for once."

"Good." And silence fell over the sidewalk once more. It only lasted so long, as silences like these usually do, since Marco once more thought up something of vague importance that he felt was worth bringing up. "Are you gonna pass out in the nurse's office again like yesterday?"

And the smile was gone, replaced by a face of contorted emotion that resembled both embarrassment and pride. She crossed her arms, turned away, and pouted. "That's never happening again. Once is already too much, you're never gonna see that kind of weakness again."

"Well how are we going to keep it that way? If I lose you outside B wing again we both know what's gonna happen."

"So we don't go down B wing, simple."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that with out getting in trouble?"

"I can probably pull some disability needy shit with the principal and get us both out of class early so we can 'get to the next period on time'. Did it at my last school, it's easy."

Marco could hear the familiar hum of the bus arriving in the distance. "Bus is coming."

"I heard it 5 minutes ago, dipshit."

"Right."

* * *

 **Worship has been rescheduled, be sure to be on time or you will be prosecuted.**

* * *

Star was led out of the principal's office by Skeeves to meet Marco sitting outside, waiting. He perked up when he saw them and immediately took notice of Star's stature. Her feet were together, hands clasped in front, standing up straight and really smiling. An innocent kind of smile, one that seemed to just radiate warmth and friendly attitudes and rainbows.

"And remember, if you ever need anything just feel free to ask any of the teachers or staff. We'll be more than happy to help with a child in need."

"Oh of course Principal Skeeves." Even her voice seemed sweet and friendly. "Thank you so much."

Skeeves let out a as hearty a laugh as his small little body could handle. "Oh, you're just too sweet." And with that he turned and left Star with Marco.

The second the principal was out of sight Star's face fell into an uncomfortable frown. She reached up with both hands and massaged her face into her usual scowl. "God I hate doing that."

Marco had done nothing but watch the events with a shocked expression until he finally mustered up the guts to speak. "What the fuck was that?"

"Gotta get on their good side somehow, obviously. Didn't I already tell you I used to act like that a lot?"

"I... I don't know, did you?"

"Eh, probably. Point is I've had practice and now we can leave all our classes five minutes early. C'mon, let's get out of here." She started walking away and hit her shoulder on and outcropped wall, stumbling back a bit and holding the bump that was left behind. "Fuck!"

Marco shook his head and stood up, leading her away from the principal's office. "Still not great with the layout yet?"

"Fuck off, you mongoloid."

"Oh, that's a new one."

* * *

 **Shouldn't be too many more of these this chapter so conserve your worship**

* * *

"And then all you have to do is cross multiply."

"What the hell is cross multiply?"

"It's when you multiply the numerator with the denominator of the other fraction."

"What...?"

"Come on, it's not that complicated."

No response.

"Star, this is important stuff."

She looked away. "I hate math."

"So do a lot of people, you're not special."

"I'm pretty special."

"Hey, if your mom told you that don't let me contradict you."

 _WHAM!_ Star sent a fist into Marco's gut causing him to double back and gasp for air. "God... dammit..."

"You should know better than that by now, you dumbass."

"You're just... lucky I... can't hit back..." He straightened back out slowly, still finding difficulty in breathing.

They had left class early just like the principal allowed and were taking their sweet time getting to their next period. Neither of them had realized it had already been five minutes until the bell rang to dismiss the rest of the school. Marco thanked his lucky stars they were already halfway through B wing as children came tumbling out of classrooms, finally free of their educational shackles for a few minutes.

Marco kept trying to tutor Star in Math she was supposed to learn the day before but could only get so close before he stopped walking and fell silent. Having been in a crowded hallway Star could tell he had stopped and paused with him. "Marco? You dead or something?"

No answer from Marco except some heavy breathing.

"Yo, Marco. What happened?"

Nothing.

"I can hear you breathing, I know you're there."

Still nothing. Marco was completely lost, eyes locked on a streak of blue hair that had just passed them going the other way.

"Hey!" She punched his shoulder snapping him out of his trance.

Marco shook his head and blinked a few times. "Sorry, sorry. Just thinking."

"Mmmhmmm, sure. It sounded like you just re-imagined your long lost feelings for some random passerby in the hallway."

"I guess you could say that."

"You're fuckin' weird, you know that?"

"Yeah, you only tell me every god damn day."

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, perfectly normal with less physical abuse than there should have been. The whole day was perfect and just fantastic. No complications. No hooligans. No unnecessary violence. No weird plot devices thrown in that may or may not play a part later in the story. Absolutely nothing.

Except lunch.

Star and Marco walked into the lunch room ready to feast on some of the most delicious cafeteria food this side of the Rio Grande. And when I say best I mean some of the worst. By the time the two of them sat down at Marco's "reserved" table Star had already expressed her disgust for the food purely through how awful it smelled. Marco tried to convince her it tasted better than it smelled but she wasn't having any of that. She simply sat down and sulked like always, wanting nothing more than to make the inedible food in front of her explode through shear hatred.

Unfortunately there were no loud bangs from the food. The pure focus Star was putting through did, however, prove useful as Star noticed a third body under the table that wasn't there 5 seconds ago.

"I think we have a visitor."

"What are you talking abo-" He stopped dead and turned around in his seat. He grew a tad suspicious when he didn't see Janna anywhere, let alone any other person. "What are you talking about?"

Star made a weird motion that Marco soon realized was her swinging her foot. The table jumped up a bit with a thud followed by an annoyed "Ow, fuck!" And with that Janna came out from under the table and took up an unoccupied chair, rubbing her side.

"That's what I'm talking about." Star crossed her arms, lifeless eyes staring down at the table.

Marco let out an uninterested sigh. "Hi, Janna. What do you want?"

Janna let out a little chuckle, still rubbing her now bruised side. "I saw the little freak had a friend for once and thought I'd come check out what made hell freeze over."

"Cool, but me and Star aren't exactly friends. I'm only showing her around the school."

"Oh, so you're name's Star, huh?" She leaned over closer to the blind girl, leaning her head on the palm of her hand and smirking. "Pretty name, and a nice face to match. Too bad it's stuck in that constant frown." Star offered no response or movement of any kind. This made Janna frown a bit herself. "Nothing to say? I won't bite, I promise." Again, nothing. Janna looked a bit closer this time and saw the pale blue of Star's eyes and instantly realized what that meant. Upon this discovery Janna began to laugh. She leaned back away from Star, laugh growing into a roar. "No wonder she can stand you! She can't see your natural ugliness!"

Marco said nothing, having no feelings on the comment. Star, however, was not as despondent. "Hey, Janna was it?"

"Hm?" Her laugh quieted to an uncontrollable giggle as she turned back to Star. "Oh, so the little princess _does_ have a v-" Her sentence was cut off, unable to finish, as a hand grasped her neck and pulled her close.

"I'm only going to say this once: fuck off."

Janna pushed back, falling into her chair. She rubbed her neck and watched as the lifeless eyes stared directly into her soul with a fire hot enough to melt brimstone. She stood up from the table. "You're gonna regret that, kid." And just as quickly as she came Janna was gone again.

Marco had been completely calm and emotionless through the whole exchange. Even when Star grabbed Janna he had made no effort to move other than to eat. He genuinely did not care about what happened what-so-ever.

Once Janna had gotten a safe distance away Star finally decided to break the awkward sound vacuum. "Why do you let her treat you like that?"

Marco shrugged. "What do you want me to do? She has all of my info."

"What do you mean?"

"Passwords, social security number, bank account info, you name it she knows it. She has a weird way of getting to that sort of stuff."

"And that's going to keep you from striking back? If anything that's reason enough to fight her."

"It's not like she's really doing anything with it. I only have to endure a bit of teasing here and there."

"Wow, that's actually kind of pathetic."

"Well I'm sorry if I'm not exactly a spiteful bitch who's willing to use any methods of violence to scare people into leaving me alone like you. Not all of us care that much." These were words of hate and Star could feel it. There was something about the way he said it, a weird tone in his voice she'd never heard before, that made her want to just... back off. She was almost sorry she said anything.

No, of course she wasn't. She shook off the feeling and resumed her usual attitude, after all Marco seemed to have done the same. There were entire minutes before Star decided to say anything in response. It was more out of curiosity than anything. "You're not actually ugly, are you?"

"What?"

"Janna said you were ugly. I was just wondering..."

"No, Star, I don't consider myself 'ugly'."

Star seemed unsatisfied with this answer. She stood up and felt her way over to the boy on the other side of the table, having her own method of answering this question.

"Uuuuhhh... Star? What are you doing?"

She stopped in front of him, face stretched into that of pure curiosity. Hands outstretched she moved until she was nearly in his lap.

"Staaaaaar...?"

Her hands hit his face, the pale eyes burning a hole into his forehead. Her hands started to explore his features. They started with the hair, her fingers stretching through his brown locks. "Wow!... your hair is so soft."

Marco's eyes began to dart around at the other occupants of the cafeteria. No one seemed to be paying attention to them but he couldn't tell for sure.

Star's thumbs began traveling down his face. They caressed his cheek bones, felt his little mole, and moved on to his lips. "Your lips feel good." By this point her face was directly in front of his, half an inch away, and she never even realized.

Marco had grown red as a beat as Star's hands felt up his face. She could feel the heat coming from his cheeks as he blushed his life away. Foolishly she had no idea what it meant at first. "You're so hot."

This comment pushed some weird feelings through Diaz. He had never truly been touched by a girl like this before and the whole situation was concerning to him. The whole day had been filled with new experiences and sights so far and it seemed like this pattern had no intent in stopping. He needed some kind of way to defuse the situation. "D-don't say things that can be... misinterpreted, Butterfly."

Her hands froze for a second and she backed off. She cleared her throat. "I think I've found what I needed." She went and sat back down, pleased with her discoveries.

"You're fuckin' weird, you know that?"

"Well, good news, you're not ugly."

And the rest of the day was fine.

* * *

 **This should be the last time skip, pinkie swearsies**

* * *

"God I hate school. Almost glad I left early yesterday." Star stepped off the bus, white cane in hand yet still doing nothing with it.

Marco stepped down behind her. "Yes because when I have a mental freak out the first thing I think about is 'thank god I get to get out of school early'."

"Yeesh, have a positive outlook on life once and get ridiculed for it. Note taken. Oh, come on, I have that thing to show you."

Marco looked down at his watch, looked back up at his own house, and followed Star back to hers. She led him up to her room and locked the door behind them. Marco sat down on the bed, taking note of the messy sheets and general lack of upkeep in the room. He was a bit disgusted.

Star reached under the bed and pulled out a small box after a few seconds of reaching around. She opened the lid to reveal the wand to Marco.

"So what great discovery have you made?"

"Ok, so I want you to put up any number of fingers and I'm gonna tell you how many are there."

Having a rough idea of what she may mean he didn't believe it. "Pfffft, no way. There's no way this is true."

"No, seriously, just do it. I swear."

Marco rolled his eyes and held up four fingers. "Alright, there."

Star slowly reached down and poked the wand. There was a small spark of energy between her finger and the object that made her pull back ever so slightly. She went for it, grabbing the handle entirely. There was a bit of static-esque feeling that filled the room accompanied by a light emitting from the face of the wand.

"Ok... ok... I can do this... I just have to..." She started to cringe up a bit. She let out a little yelp and dropped the wand. "Shit, ok hold on." She reached down and grabbed the wand again. "I did it before, I just need to concentrate."

"I have no idea what you're doing but it looks dangerous."

"No, it's ok, trust me."

"I never do."

Star concentrated again, cringing her features like last time. After a second her body began to relax, her shoulders lowered and her face un-scrunched. A light glow began to surround her eyes. "Four. Four fingers" And she blinked causing the light to dim to nothing. She dropped the wand back into the box as fast as she could, a light bit of smoke coming from both hands.

Marco slowly lowered his hand. "Ok, so that's weird."

Star's breath came out ragged. "Yeah it's... amazing."

She was almost smiling again, that pseudo-jubilence that just seemed different for her. Not bad, really, just different. Marco had become so used to the usual disdain that he didn't know how to react to this new emotion. He was still unsure how to react to the whole day so far. It felt as if his entire life had just taken a new direction. He took one last look up at Star before the chapter ended and nodded.

* * *

 ** _And now Star has finally met Janna. I kinda wanted to keep that for a bit later on in the story but I just really wanted to write that out so bad. Thanks for coming back everyone, hope you stay and have a great time._**

 ** _And yes, I stole shit again. Sue me. I doubt aweirdlatina even reads this._**


	33. Truth

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Look at that, got another chapter out nice and quick. Now to wait until I relapse into another bout of disappearances.**_

 _ **Review time!**_

 _ **JJmmmmmlol: A. Yes I did, it's the third god damn word you blind fuck  
B. Gold star to you  
C. Anime is for weebs  
D. Good choice  
E. Thanks, I thought I did a rather decent job on it  
F. Best of wishes**_

 _ **A unimpressive name: Don't get your hopes up, you might not like the ending**_

 ** _Kinda surprised at how many views I got on the first day being back, I expected most of you to be gone by now. Ah well, onto the story!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 33**

 **Truth**

School became just another road block for Star. All of her classes, all of her teachers, all completely tuned out the entire time. The only thought that crossed her mind anymore was the wand. How is it that magic on this level could be real? An actual magic wand, and one that allowed her to see, no less.

It was a weird sensation, it wasn't truly sight. It was almost like a type of sonar. There was still no color, only large details. The simple act of holding the wand allowed her to see her surroundings in a whole new way. There had to be some way for her to bring the wand with her to school, maybe find a way to shrink it and stick it in her pocket or backpack? No, that was just stupid.

What had Marco said that night? Something about keeping it hidden.

"Star, I know this is all very exciting for you but you can't let this get out of hand. Imagine what would happen if someone found out about this thing. You'd have the news all over you, people will want to study it, people will want to take it. Hell, if the government gets a whiff of this lord knows they'll do more than just take the damn thing."

"Yeah, I... I know. I don't want to lose this just yet. But I can see! I can actually see again! I mean, it's not perfect but oh my god this is amazing!"

There was something about what Marco said that almost sounded like a threat. Star had to convince herself that this wasn't the case. He was just looking out for her.

Right?

It seemed like it. Everything he had done for her so far, going out of his way to go along with her general bitchiness. What was it about her that made him stick around this long? Why would anyone? She'd come to accept the fact that solitude was the best path for her but now she had a friend that didn't seem to want to leave. It was a weird breath a fresh air, like everything she knew was wrong and she was pleased about it. It was nice knowing someone was there to talk to. Someone was there no matter what crazy, emotional bullshit she pulled. It made her feel important even if it was only a little.

Even with all the violent shit she pulled he was able to just absorb it all.

A punch thrown into his shoulder, a kick blasted into his shin, a shove into a wall. She even full on slapped him once for saying her mother wasn't half bad looking. That one did feel necessary, though, so maybe it wasn't entirely her. Even still he just never seemed to care about all the pain.

But what did this mean about Marco? Why would he do all this? She knew he was in generally the same position she was socially, but maybe he had recognized the way to fix it before she did. Maybe he knew that they were each other's only chances. Maybe he knew they should stick together. Maybe he liked her.

What? No, of course not. There's no way. Not even he would go that far, he made that evidently clear.

They had been walking in the halls again when Marco's voice trailed off into a babbling mess. Star clearly had no idea why this had happened and had to snap him out of his trance like last time. And just like last time he shook his head and apologized before continuing on. He wanted to draw as little attention to it as possible but Star had gotten angry that his attention was pulled to something completely unrelated. And when she gets mad she gets curious.

"Alright, dickwad, spill it. This is the second time you've done that and in the exact same spot. What's so important that it liquefies your brain?"

"I don't have to tell you. That's personal shit."

"You've never been against sharing personal shit with me before."

"Well this is... different."

"Oh? How different?"

"You know, I just- well... fuck ok. You wanna know so bad? Fine." He let out a little sigh. "Every time we go this way I happen to catch sight of an old friend. Some shit happened between us and we don't talk anymore. She used to be a good friend of mine and-"

"She? Hoo boy, that's something I wasn't expecting."

"Yeah, I still don't believe it when I look back on the situation. She's still... special to me, y'know? Seeing her just brings back bad memories that I know I'll never get over."

Star attempted to say nothing about this but just couldn't hold it in. She let out an amused snort causing Marco to shoot her a nasty look.

"What? You think you could do better?"

"Please, at least I don't get hung up over past love lives."

"That's because no one is willing to get close enough to love you."

That hit harder than she would have thought. There was something about these little comments Marco had been shooting at her lately that hit a bit harder than usual. Any other person and she would just brush these words off but something about them coming from Marco made her just think.

Did she really miss the life of human emotion that much? Did she even ever have it? There was this weird little contradiction pushing through the confines of her subconscious. This unnatural feeling that maybe she was wrong. About what, she couldn't say. There was just that irregular buzzing, like a fly in her head, that something was off.

She tried thinking back to her previous school. She remembered middle school being a total wreck after she went blind. The general abuse and neglect from the other kids as she struggled to deal with her new ailment. No one cared, no one bothered to really help, no one really knew her. The feeling came back. It was almost like a vibration. Something was wrong.

She shook it off, nothing was wrong. These were her memories, there was no way they were wrong. She thought back to the last person she actually remembered caring about her: Tom. He said he would never abandon her. He said he'd protect her, keep her safe from anything she couldn't see. And then just... nothing. He left, disappeared, abandoned her. But why? Was it when she went cold and distant? The thought was pushed to the side to make way for the fly. It wasn't right. He didn't abandon her. He didn't leave. But that was how she remembered it. The fly buzzed around her brain. Something was off.

And why didn't she remember going blind? She remembered when she had sight. She remembered being able to see fine and she remembers waking up blind for the first time but in the middle: darkness. Absolutely no memory whatsoever of what happened. And her parents never gave her a straight answer so they were no help. Were they hiding something? Did they just not know themselves? The drone wouldn't let up.

And what did the wand mean? How was it allowing her to see? Why did it only have an attraction to her? Marco tried holding it and nothing happened. Nothing at all. Did it know her? She was almost inclined to ask her parents about it but that just brought her thoughts back to what Marco had said about not showing anyone. It was too risky.

Her thoughts were circling themselves again. Like a dog chasing its tail her thoughts would just trail back around on themselves and never seemed to get anywhere. And that buzzing, that little drone in her head, was it a signal? She got to the point where she just couldn't lay on her bed and think about all this anymore. She needed to talk to him. Just to clear this all up.

* * *

 **This is a single, lone time skip. It's been through some shit and deserves worship**

* * *

Marco walked up the hill towards the lone tree in the park. The sun was already heading down the sky and blinded him to the point of disorientation. He cursed the early October sun and it's annoying sun-down time. He saw the girl under the tree waiting for him. Her eyes were closed but he could tell she knew he was there. He took a seat next to her under the leaves in the cool shade. She didn't say anything at first, probably thinking up some insult to throw his way. He almost opened his mouth to speak first when she beat him to it.

"Marco, what are we?"

"What do you mean? I'd say we were friends but I feel like that's off limits."

"I'm... fine with it."

"What, us being friends?"

"I did a lot of thinking and I think it'd be good if we were."

"And exactly what deal with the devil am I signing by calling you my 'friend'?"

"None. I just... I'm sick of feeling this way. I want a friend and you're the closest I've got right now."

Marco's eyes wandered off a bit. It sounded like she was being genuine with him. Something was up with her.

"Alright, so we say that we're friends now. What brought this sudden change of heart around?"

She spoke as she exhaled. "I don't know. I was thinking and I started to feel bad, I think. There's a lot of things about my life I don't quite understand yet."

"I assume you're talking about the wand."

"Not even that. I don't really know how to describe it, it's just... my memories all feel wrong and I don't know what it means."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Should I?"

"We're friends, aren't we?"

The thought made her feel... nice. "Only if you talk about your shit afterwards so I don't look weird."

"If it'll get you to open up, then sure."

She let out a sigh. "Do you remember that talk we had in your room back at the end of summer? The one where I told you about my last school."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I don't know how much of that is actually accurate. Something feels wrong with my memories, like they're not real."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, I still don't understand. But I kept trying to think back to my past and all my memories from my last school just feel wrong, almost fabricated. There's this weird feeling in my head that makes me feel like it's all wrong. And that reminded me of how I went blind."

"Car crash, right? Or was it bleach, I forget."

"Neither. Or at least, I don't know. Because I keep trying to think of how I went blind and my memories keep coming up blank. I feel like my parents might be hiding something from me, like they don't want me to know. I feel like the wand might be the key to figuring this all out, though, and I just don't know what to do and I don't want to go at this alone. It's almost... scary."

"I'm sure it won't be that hard to figure out. I mean, it's not like you haven't done anything but experiment with it so far and that's gotten results."

"Yeah, I know, it just... it doesn't feel like something I should do alone, though. Y'know?"

"No I don't know, but I guess I'll have to learn what you mean."

"That is, if you want to. I know I've done some pretty nasty stuff to you in the last couple months and, well, if it's any consolation: I'm sorry. For... a lot."

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am! I promise, I'm actually sorry for some of the shit I put you through." There was a long pause between them. "I don't want to lose you."

They both let it sink in. Neither one of them wanted to break the ring in the air, make the moment stale with a bad comment. Then Marco remembered his end of the deal.

"So I guess it's my turn now."

"If you want."

"No, I made a promise and I like to at least pretend I'm a man of my word. So, believe it or not, I... actually used to have friends. Years ago, like, early elementary school shit. One of my first friends I ever had was with me since kindergarten. Remember those times where I just kinda stopped in the hallway and I told you about those bad memories?"

"Yeah?"

"Her."

"Aaaahhhh shit."

"We used to be super good friends. Her name was Jackie. Jackie Lynn Thomas. Long story short we grew distant. She liked to skateboard and I... well, I became a bit of a nuisance. I still can't believe how she said it to my face."

* * *

Marco was walking down the hall of his old middle school. He had a smile on his face, one that would have never been seen today. He was making a beeline for his friend, Jackie, who was talking with some of her other friends.

"Hey, Jackie! Wanna hang out after school today?"

Jackie stopped talking and took a glance behind her to see Marco smiling his day away. She frowned a little and turned back to her friends. "Gimme a sec, guys." She did a full 180 and pulled Marco away from the group a bit. "Listen, Marco, I think I'm gonna hang with my other friends today."

"But you did that yesterday. Actually, you did that all last week."

"And I want to do it again today."

"But what about me? You never hang out with me anymore."

"Oh, don't do that, Marco. Come on."

"But you only ever hang out with them anymore."

"Yeah, I know, but that's 'cause they're cool and they think I'm cool, too."

"I think you're cool."

"Yes, I know you do, but-" She bit her bottom lip, searching for the best words to use. "How do I put this?"

Some realization dawned on Marco. His face fell ever so slightly. "You don't think I'm cool, do you?"

"No, it's not that, it's just-"

"No, it's fine, I get it. I'll just... get out of your hair." He turned away from her and took a few steps away before Jackie stopped him.

"That right there, that's why." Marco turned back around when she said it. "It's that self pity thing you keep doing."

"I don't-"

"No, just listen, Diaz. You keep doing this pitiful 'oh woe is me' bullshit, trying to get me to feel sorry for you. This is why I don't like you anymore, Marco. You and your weird habits and your shit, you've basically become a... a nuisance." Jackie turned away a bit. "I'm sorry, Marco. I thought you'd figure it out on your own. You've changed a lot and, well, I'm changing, too. I just think it's time for me to move on. You should too."

And with that she walked back over to her friends. Her real friends. He saw them giggle as they walked off down the hall. He could only assume it was about him.

* * *

Star was completely silent, taking in the whole story. "Is that why you act like... this?"

"Well, it certainly helped get me there but it wasn't really the only thing. I think the worst part was I was going to ask her out that day after school. Now I can only remember being a huge baby over it for I think almost a whole month."

"Holy shit..."

"So, now you know my story. Happy?"

"I think I am... You're not gonna, y'know, do that to me, right?"

"You haven't given me a reason to yet so no, I doubt it. And you're not gonna dump me like that, are you?"

"Not like I have a choice, what with you being my only real chance at friendship right now."

"True."

Another awkward silence. These were almost starting to piss Star off.

"Hey, Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

* * *

 _ **And look at that, bustin' chapters out at light speed again. Just like old times, right?**_

 _ **God, I have some good shit planned out for this story and I just can't wait.**_


	34. Staging Fear

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. That's it.**_

 _ **Reviews!~**_

 _ **Guest sorta: Was that english? I have no idea what you just said.**_

 _ **A unimpressive name: Woah, now, don't rule out a happy ending just yet. I never said I wasn't gonna do it just not to get your hopes up. I'm still debating how I want to end this. Then again that isn't for another several chapters so you have time to suffer.**_

 _ **Consumer of Fantasy: It makes their conversation humorous to write, as well.**_

 _ **Sugar: Whaaaaaaaaat? What told you that? And, I mean, it's not gonna end like the last story. It may be heartbreaking, it may not be, but there is absolutely no time travel involved. I guarantee. And no worries, I understood just fine.**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: You didn't miss shit, I only just started again. Aaawww thaaaaaanks, I love the way you put that.**_

 _ **JJmmmmmlol: Good, it should worry you. And... uuuuuuhhhh... wot?**_

 _ **RobLebron: Literally me almost every night.**_

 _ **3xplicit: It's basically my trade mark now, glad it's making an impression.**_

 _ **That's it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 34**

 **Staging Fear**

These feelings just couldn't go unnoticed now. There was something about how Star was acting now that caught Marco off guard. Sure, she was her usual bitchy self that Marco just couldn't stand at times, but there were more moments lobbed in where she was cool, calm, and collected. Almost nice. It was like she was trying to get him to like her. Or, even worse, she was trying to get him to "like-like" her.

Now, when Marco realized this, he started going through the five stages of grief.

Of course she wasn't doing that, that was just ridiculous. Not only was Star not the kind of person to fall in love but she's also not the kind of person that would even remotely make that evident, whether verbally or physically. And to add on that, Marco had made it clear he still had feelings for someone else. Star knew he still liked Jackie and even though she was mean Star wasn't evil. She was rational enough to not go after a boy who had feelings for someone else. Of course she was.

* * *

"Hey, Marco?"

Marco stopped in the middle of the essay the two of them had been paired together to write. "Yeah, what is it?"

"There's been something bothering me lately."

"When isn't there?"

"Yeah, haha, I know right? Hahahaha fuck you."

"Alright, whatever, just spill it. Your insults are getting boring and repetitive."

"Say that to the business end of my knife the next time you think you're gonna get a full eight hours of sleep."

"Will you just say it already?"

"Ok, ok, fine. God, you're so pushy." Marco rolled his eyes. "So you say you're still really into that Jackie character, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Have you ever come to terms with the fact that she might never actually like you back?"

Marco took a good few seconds to stare her down, knowing full well she couldn't see what he was doing. With a frown he went to continue his essay. "So, anyway, Napoleon and his exile."

* * *

And yet, even with this absolute truth in front of him, Marco still didn't feel right about this whole ordeal. It was at this time that everyone around Marco saw him exhibit any emotion at all since middle school. He started walking around with a scowl permanently etched onto his face much like Star's. Funny how even on the most emotionless, despondent people pure hatred can still be infectious. Much like a decent yawn. Or the chorus of a popular and timeless song being sung out in the worst of times, take for example Sweet Caroline.

When people started to see Marco and the embodiment of his insufferable rage for humanity plastered on his face they began to get suspicious. And worried, too, but mostly suspicious.

* * *

Marco awoke one morning to the sweet tune of obnoxious beeping from his alarm clock coupled with beautiful sunlight cutting through his drapes to flood his room with such blinding hellfire brightness. He slid off the side of his bed and trudged over to his dresser to clothe his bare body for the day. This was, of course, immediately followed by the frantic re-making of his bed. He took a quick look out his window. He saw where he and Star always stand together to wait for the bus. He thought of Star. He sighed.

"I hate my life..."

He made his way downstairs as slowly as possible, hoping that maybe, just maybe, if he walked slow enough he'd miss the bus and then school entirely. He made himself a bowl of cereal when he finally made it to the kitchen. His father was at the table reading the paper with a cup of coffee.

"Mornin', Marco. Sleep well?"

He responded with a disgruntled mumble.

"Love you, too, son."

He finished his cereal, grabbed his backpack, and walked out the front door without another word to his dad. He didn't stop trudging until he made it to the sidewalk upon which he stopped and stared off into the unknown that was directly in front of him. Star met him there moments later.

"Slow morning?"

"Fuck you." He let that one go with an impressive saturation of malice.

"Yeesh, aren't you a happy camper today?"

"I swear to god I'll throw you in a meat grinder if you don't stop."

"And I'll chop your dick off and feed it to a dog if you even think about trying that. And that'll be the last time a girl ever touches you that way, too."

"God you're such a prick."

"Man, I can't tell if I like this new Marco or if I should snap you for stomping on my emotional territory."

* * *

It only lasted a week. Around the end of that week the hatred for humanity started to wear off to the point where he could only care so much about just about anything. He still had a bit of douche-baggery stored up that he released her and there, though.

* * *

"Hey, Marco."

"How much money is it gonna take for you to fuck off?"

* * *

And for a month Marco forgot entirely what he was even mad about to begin with. Star hadn't brought up Jackie in a while and the two of them were just back to normal. Star was still dropping those hints every now and then, though. Once in awhile, if Marco had helped her out or they talked through some shit like civilized people, Star would always act a bit more friendly towards the boy. The part Marco found the funniest, however, was any time someone else happened to come over to the two of them, which wasn't often at all, she would go right back to her normal self until they left again. As if they were unworthy of the beauty that was Star's soft side they would be turned away, casted out into the dark unknown that encased her.

This gave Marco an idea. What if this really was just a trial? Maybe she was testing him, seeing if he truly was serious about wanting to be her friend. What would happen if he passed? Would she finally ditch the attitude for a more inclusive personality? And inversely, what would happen if he failed? Would she leave? It seemed like a stupid idea, he knew she had no option but to stay with him. So what was all this about her new, nicer attitude being an emotional gauntlet.

And then the thoughts that got him mad at Star at all came flowing back. The centerpiece of it all, the idea that burned at the back of his mind: what if Star really did like him?

The thought gave him mixed vibes once more but, through a bit of reasoning in his head, he became understanding of the matter. Just because she liked him doesn't mean he was obligated to return the feelings. Maybe they would appear sometime in the future but as for right now he felt nothing. And with that thorn in his side finally removed he could get on with being indifferent about the world's existence.

* * *

 _ **I looked at some of the future events and it seems like the time skips appear to be dwindling in number. I'm so sorry, there's nothing I can do.**_

* * *

As November drew near for our two protagonists Star and Marco found themselves coming together indoors more often and with this came an increase in curiosity towards the wand. This curiosity, mixed with the unhealthy dynamic between the two, made for at least one interesting scene and a rather close call. The two of them had been in Marco's living room, both their parents out of the house for a bit leaving them to their own devices.

Star had brought her wand so both of them could learn more about this strange device. They were making great advances in this mysterious technology: Star was getting better at holding it for longer portions of time before burning the palms of her hands, more functions had been discovered that could summon small creatures and move small objects, among other things, and it seemed to both of them that there was some kind of energy powering this wand that would be spent as heat if used incorrectly.

Star was messing around with this fun little telekinesis power that the wand had and was lobbing small objects at Marco when he wasn't looking. It started with paperclips and crumpled up balls of paper. The two of them were having fun with this experiment, combining the telekinesis with the Star's power of 'sight' to see how accurate she could be. A couple of times she purposefully launched the objects directly at Marco just to piss him off. Instead of getting mad, however, he decided to make a game out of it. Every now and then he would throw something back at her and see if she could dodge it. She wasn't that great at it. Times like these were rare between the two of them, especially when such frivolous nature got both of them to smile and even laugh a tiny bit. But it can only last so long before one of them ruins it.

Star, getting stronger with this magic after a while, finally started lifting bigger and bigger objects. She even managed to lift a chair at one point. This ongoing achievement continued to excite Star to the point where she would go around and lift random things and throw them all over the place. To Marco's surprise he didn't seem to be freaking out over the state she left the house in and working tirelessly to make it no longer that way. He did, however, feel the need to tell Star to not destroy the house just yet.

"Uh, Star? You're kinda making a mess."

There was no response. She was too busy swirling the blender around in the air.

"Star, seriously, can you take it down a notch? This is getting ridiculous."

Little uplifts in the rug were forming as Star managed to grab random spots in the living room carpet and bring them up. She couldn't lift the carpet itself, though, which discouraged her.

"Star I swear to go, if you trash my house-" CRASH!

To prove herself to herself, Star attempted to lift one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen. She got excited and flung her arms in the air, subsequently smashing the chair into the ceiling.

"GOD DAMMIT STAR WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Uhhh... I was just-"

"NO! DON'T EVEN TRY TO EXPLAIN!" Marco was now frantically picking up bits and pieces of destroyed chair. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP AND YOU WOULDN'T NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPENED YOU FUCKING... FUCK!" He was practically trembling now.

"Stop yelling, dammit, you were having fun, too."

"NOT AFTER YOU RUINED THE ENTIRE LOWER FLOOR OF MY HOUSE!"

Star crossed her arms and turned away. "Please, it's just a chair. It was only a matter of time before the wet blanket came back out."

"WET BLANKET!? YOU BROKE A FUCKING CHAIR!"

"You didn't stop me!"

"I SURE GOD DAMN TRIED!"

"Well, maybe you should have tried a little harder if it meant that much to you!"

"WELL MAYBE YOU'RE JUST RETARDED YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Star flicked her wrist and kitchen knife came flying towards Marco. He didn't have the time to react to it as it flew just past his head, cut his cheek, and stuck into the wall with a twang. Marco froze when it happened, dropping the bundle of chair bits. He reached back and pulled the knife out of the wall.

"Did you just..."

Star looked away. "Maybe."

He looked down at the knife he held in the palm of his hand. She actually flung a knife at his head. And it actually hit him, no less. He set the knife down on the table next to him and turned to walk into the living room, holding his cut in his hand. He held his shaking head. "You're going to be the death of me. You're actually going to be the death of me." He sat down on the couch and exhaled hard. "I can't do this shit anymore."

Star looked down at wand. She was actually starting to feel... regret? This seemed to resonate in her as the fact that she went a bit too far. She dropped the wand on the floor, a small puff of smoke and the smell of burning flesh rose to Star's nose. She looked down at her hand and saw that her palm had become red and a few blisters were forming. She hadn't even felt it. She went over to the kitchen sink to run her hand under water.

It took a few minutes before Marco had calmed down, face in hands. It was also around this time that there was a crisp knock at the door. Marco slowly got up from the couch. He wiped most of the blood away from his cut, it wasn't all that deep and was already starting to close. He opened the door to see a police officer there. Fear struck his heart instantaneously.

"Evening" the man nodded to the boy, "I got a tip of what sounded like domestic abuse. Can I come in?"

Marco looked back at Star who was watching from the kitchen. "Uuuuhhhhhhh... sure?" He stepped to the side so the officer could come in.

"Quite a mess you've got in here. What happened?" He stepped into the living room, looking around.

"We were just... roughhousing and... stuff."

"You don't sound so sure of yourself."

"Well, y'know, I, uuuuhh... didn't expect the police."

The officer noticed the broken flesh. "Your cheek's cut."

"Like I said, roughhousing."

"Where are your parents?"

"Work."

"Mmmhmmm." He gestured towards Star. "You two siblings?"

Marco shook his head. "Neighbors."

"Where's her parents?"

Star chimed in this time. "Also work."

Pretty much satisfied with this answer, the officer started taking a look around. He made his way into the kitchen. The wand caught his eye but its childish appearance made him assume it was a toy. "And you're sure there's nothing wrong going on here?"

Marco stayed back in the living room. "Absolutely positive."

He saw the bits of chair Marco had left in a pile on the floor. "What's with the broken chair?"

"We, uh... broke it. By accident."

The officer started heading back to the living room. "Well, looks like you'll have enough to deal with when your parents get back home so I'll leave this for them." He reopened the door and stepped outside. "Stay safe now." He shut the door behind himself. Marco could hear a faint 'fricken children' as he walked away.

Marco turned back to Star, who was still facing the door in a bit of fear. He let out a bit of an awkward chuckle. This caused Star to start laughing weakly herself. It didn't take long before the whole house erupted in a roar of laughter. They could barely get any words passed their struggle of jubilence. Every now and then they'd get past an "And then you broke the chair" or an "I can't believe the cops actually showed up". When their tear-jerking gut busters were finally out of the way, Marco looked down at the pile of chair while wiping a tear from his eye.

"I really need to clean that up." He went back to his duty of picking the bits and pieces up.

"I should probably help..."

The two of them left the broken chair in the back yard to be either fixed or chucked later. They then got back to picking up the rest of the objects that were strewn around the room and flatten the carpet back out. When this was done Marco went to clean the cut on his cheek. Star had other plans.

"I should probably head home. My parents'll be home soon."

"Alright. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Right." And she left.

Marco watched her go. He realized something that day. This was the first time he had let a mess this big get out of hand without freaking out to clean it. He wondered why that happened. Then he thought back to some of the other times that he should have freaked out but didn't. Star's basement and attic both should have broken him if not separately. This situation confused Marco.

He went back to cleaning his cut.

* * *

 _ **Did you all know that, back when Napoleon was attempting to take over all of France through brute strength and grapeshot, he was exiled to an island called Elba near Rome? Unfortunately for France he stole a boat right under the noses of the guards and sailed back to France. When he got back he was then exiled to another island. This time it was called St. Helena and it was in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. He did not escape this time. He died there.**_

 _ **fun stuff.**_

 _ **Also I learned When I Come Around on bass. I find this to be an achievement for me.**_


	35. What You Left Behind

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Back again and ready to fuckin' annihilate. Sorry for being a few days late. I don't know what happened. I also missed my 1 year anniversary. I'm so sorry. To show my appreciation to you all I'm giving you this nice long and heavy chapter as a christmas gift. You're welcome.**_

 ** _But first: reviews~_**

 _ **A unimpressive name: I'll tell you what's impressive, the lack of grammar in that name. But yeah not gonna try and stretch this one out too long, there's only so much story to tell between these two.**_

 _ **Sugar: English please?**_

 _ **Guest: Wow, ok, you actually don't know english. Right, well, uh... mucho taco?**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: (1)Honestly that song has one of the best bass lines but I wouldn't call it THE best. A lot of their songs on that album had some killer bass. (2)Let's be real, most of that wasn't a solid reason to be gone and inactive.**_

 _ **amythestblade: I've been trying to figure out how that would sound for over a month now and I still can't figure it out.**_

 _ **Guest Sorta: You are a heretic and must be destroyed.**_

 _ **JJmmmmmlol: Ha, pokemon white 2 is trash. I'm not gonna let Marco throw everything away just yet, that would ruin the story.**_

 _ **MindCleaver27: I hope so... otherwise what am I writing this for?**_

 _ **3xplicit: Ha! It's been more than 2 months. And trust me, long story is an understatement.**_

 _ **Ok, everyone, Guest Sorta is a heretic and must be destroyed. If you see them in the reviews section please let them know what a heathen they are.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 35**

 **What You Left Behind**

Good times and good vibes can only last for so long when both people involved are pessimistic, mean, vindictive individuals. While Marco and Star tried their hardest to make this friendship work, at times there just wasn't enough of a connection for the two of them. It almost didn't feel like it was worth the effort, more like grasping at straws. Relationships and friendships are supposed to change people for the better. Neither of them budged an inch.

Marco never smiled again after after the run in with the cops, at least not notably, and Star continued to act as her spiteful old self. While Marco never really cared much for school he also never saw it as a hassle. School was just part of the daily grind, another time filler to keep him entertained. For Marco, entertainment was nothing more than anything that got his brain to think even a little bit. At least in this mess of monotony Janna would keep a bit of intrigue on what lunch that day might hold. Too bad that stopped happening a month ago.

Janna didn't even look at him anymore without wincing in fear. She was avoiding him and Star, or maybe just Star. On the upside he could actually eat lunch now, on the downside he lost that bit of interest during his school day. This was a void that couldn't be filled by just any means and Star's constant belittling certainly wasn't helping. It almost felt wrong to miss being bullied but he figured that was the life he led and gave it little thought. It's not like it was his fault, anyway.

* * *

 **In case it wasn't obvious, this is a flashback. Also known as a Timeskip to the past.**

* * *

Janna was a girl of simple pleasure. She enjoyed good food, death metal, and the color pink but there wasn't too much past that. And with the kind of life she led at home it's no wonder she couldn't indulge in her favorite things all the time. And even if she couldn't, none of these things were eternal. There were always those times that a decent taco or intense guitar riff just couldn't bring a smile to her face, but if there was one thing that never failed to cheer her up at her lowest would be messing with Marco.

She didn't like the term 'bullying' all that much, such negative connotations that came with that word were way too detrimental to her favorite pastime. No, she much preferred to mess with Marco instead. A missing slice of pizza here and there, maybe a changed password, a flick in the throat, it was all in good fun to her. And it's not like he ever did anything to stop it. Turns out he didn't have to, his little girlfriend managed to do it for him.

Their first meeting wasn't Janna's finest moment. She didn't think Star would be able to catch her like that. She was just caught off guard is all, and when Star throttled her with her own collar it _really_ took her by surprise. There was something about that girl that struck her as off, and it wasn't the fact that she definitely wasn't compatible with Marco or the fact that she was blind. Whatever it was wouldn't matter soon anyway. Janna wasn't lying when she said Star would regret those acts. If she wanted to get physical Janna would be more than happy to oblige.

The two were in their usual spot in the cafeteria. Right on time. Janna cracked the knuckles in her right hand and aggressively strutted over to the two. She didn't even catch what the two were talking about as she cut them off.

"Hey nerds." She said that with way too much emphasis.

Neither of them even looked at her. This blatant lack of manners struck her in her heart. Marco made the first attempt at human contact.

"Oh, hey Janna. Haven't seen you around in a few days."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to intrude on you two love birds."

"Oh really?" Star smirked. "I thought you were just scared."

Janna brought her hands down on the face of the table, fire practically spewing from her eyes directly at Star. There were a few people watching now. "I don't get scared."

"Oh really? Because the way you ran with your tail between your legs really gave me the impression of true courage." Star took a bite of the apple that was in her hand nonchalantly, further enraging Janna.

By now Janna was ready to throw down. "You think you're so tough, why don't you prove it? Might as well fight for your man, right?"

"You're not worth it. I already got you once, anyway."

"Then why not do it again if you could do it so easy?"

"Too much energy, not worth it."

Janna didn't know what to make of this. She thought for sure the little hothead she saw the first time would spring at the thought of a fight. She thought back to what got Star ticking last time and came up with a little experiment. She looked over at Marco, who was barely even paying attention, and tipped his drink over spilling the contents over the side of the table. Marco just shook his head.

"Did you have to? I was drinking that."

The group of people had grown bigger by this point.

Star's head perked up for once, taking notice of Marco's pleas.

Janna saw this. "Well looks like I got your attention."

"Apologize."

"What?"

"Apologize." She put more conviction into this one.

Janna cracked a wicked smile, fully coming to realize the conclusion of her little test. "Why don't you come over here and make me."

Marco's eyes darted to Star as she stood up from her chair. "Oh, Star, you don't have to."

Star ignored him and turned to Janna.

"Please don't."

She raised her hand and, in one fluid motion, backhanded Janna in the face. The crowd fell silent. She stumbled back a bit, causing the flames in her eyes to grow to an inferno. Star took another step towards her.

"I don't want to see you or your petty bullshit again. Got it?"

Janna fumbled in her brain for a rebuttal to throw at Star but found Marco piping up before she could gather the words.

"It's not worth it. Just go before you put yourself in the hospital."

Without a word but another glare shot at Star, Janna wiped her face on her sleeve, got up, and walked away, shoulders slumped. It was several minutes of dispersing crowd and otherwise silence between the two before Marco spoke up again.

"I told you not to do that. Why did you do that?"

"Let me answer that with my own question: why do you let her treat you like that?"

"I already told you, I really don't care that she does."

"How can you say that? Doesn't it bother you that-"

"No! It doesn't. I didn't and still don't want my life to change. I was fine how I was." And with that Marco packed up his backpack, getting ready for their next class. "We need to go soon."

Star nodded and they were gone. This topic didn't come up again for awhile.

* * *

 **And back.**

* * *

Ever since then Janna had been distant. Marco would see her every now and then walking home from school alone or drifting down the hallway with her plastered-on smug grin but nothing more. There was a stretch of a few days where she didn't even seem to show up to school. Marco gave it little thought but the strange anomaly still caught a bit of his attention. Maybe she had caught a cold or something. The dropping November temperature had been picking kids off one by one all week, she probably got caught in it as well. Not like she was out with the neighborhood delinquents, anyway. They didn't want her around anymore.

Marco could feel a bit of a sniffle in his own nose as he left the school building at the end of the day. The freshly laid snow in the courtyard became speckled with foot prints as the bell released the hordes of children. Marco wore an extra coat over top of his usual red hoodie and called it even, never really hating cold weather. Star, on the other hand, had layered up with a scarf across her face and a pair of black tinted glasses to protect her eyes from the light bouncing off the snow. She always hated those glasses, preferring only to use extra accessories when needed as to look a bit more normal. She wasn't even using the cane much anymore since she had become much more accustomed to the layout of the school.

The two said nothing to each other as usual, leaving behind their own personal set of footprints as they made their way across the school grounds. The snow beneath them masked the gentle patter of foot steps as a body hurtled towards them, their figures blocking the direct path off school property. Janna, in her haste, was shielding her eyes from the bitter winds effectively blinding her of what may be in her way. She collided directly with Star, knocking them both to the ground. Star's glasses flew off and her scarf came undone. Janna's backpack came off and papers littered the ground around it. Marco simply stopped walking when it happened.

Star sat up and rubbed her head. "Augh! Watch where you're fucking going, nimrod!" She kept her eyes closed lest the glare of the snow damaged them.

Janna pushed herself up off the ground and started frantically collecting her papers, repeatedly muttering 'shit' to herself.

Marco picked Star's glasses up off the ground and wiped them off with his sleeve. "Janna? What happened?"

Janna's head shot over to look at Marco. A look of worry encapsulated her face with a shiny black eye decoration like a cherry on top. She stood up and slung her backpack back over her shoulder. "Can't talk, gotta go."

"Well, wait. Hold on." He grabbed Janna's arm as she tried to flee past him. "What's with the eye?"

"It doesn't matter! Shut up!" She broke free from Marco's grasp and attempted to make her escape when she realized Star blocked her path again. "Oh god dammit!"

Star clenched her fists, legs spread apart. She looked as though she were ready to strike at any moment and she probably was. "I thought I made myself very clear."

"Star, c'mon, it was an accident. Just let me go, I'm in a hurry."

"No, no, no, you're staying right here. I can't just have you knocking me over like that and getting away with it. People might get the wrong idea."

"You... you can't be serious."

"Dead serious." She cracked the knuckles in her right hand, eyes still closed. "Unless I scared you too much last time."

Janna realized she could probably just walk around her and book it. She might even still make it home in time if she does, but these fighting words pissed her off. She dropped her backpack again. "Fine! You wanna throw down? Let's do it for real."

Marco stood there shaking his head, face in hand. He couldn't believe these two had to fight every time they saw each other.

Star didn't move. "You do realize that you'll lose this fight no matter what, right? You throw one punch and I pull the victim card. You'll be expelled before you know it."

"Right, abuse your power. It's gotten you this far, hasn't it? Why stop now?!" Janna was raising her voice in frustration.

"You think I'm doing this for fun? You think I like beating the snot out of people who make a fool out of me? Because I do. And I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

"Oh who woulda guessed!? The sadistic bitch of the school likes taking the time from beating up her boyfriend to beat up other people!"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"You had me fooled! What with the way you defend him for no reason. Now shut up and fight me!"

Star frowned, her teeth clenched in anger. The veins in her arm visibly popping now through the force of her hatred. She threw her care to the wind and broke at a sprint towards Janna. She got a whole step forward before her neck met with an arm. She fell to the ground choking a bit.

In front of her Marco lightly rubbed his wrist. "Ya done yet?"

Janna's expression relaxed a bit as she leaned back on her heals. "Well, well. Look who had to-"

"You quite, too." Marco glared at Janna causing her to shut her mouth. He turned back to Star. "I've told you once, I've told you twice, stop bothering Janna."

Star didn't move at all. "Marco, I got t-"

"No, you don't." He crossed his arms, displeased with what happened. "I told you not to and I meant it."

"Well it's not like you were going to stand up for yourself! The way I see it I'm doing you a favor!"

"A favor? I couldn't give less of a shit about the way Janna treated me. You care more than I do and it needs to stop."

"What the hell's your deal? I thought I'd do something nice for you for once! I thought maybe I should act like your friend for once!"

"You're not acting like a friend, you're acting selfish. You want to beat up Janna for whatever reason because _you_ want to. This has nothing to do with me anymore."

Janna started laughing from behind Marco. "Can you actually not see what's happening here? Are you that fucking blind?"

Marco turned to Janna without an ounce of curiosity. "I guess I am. Want to fill me in on what I'm missing?"

"She's obviously into you, dumbass! She's got the hots for the weird kid in school and you have no fucking clue."

"That's a lie!" Star still hadn't even bothered to get up out of the snow. "That's a goddamn lie and you know it!"

Janna and Star went back and forth like that for awhile. Marco stood there and tuned it out, thinking. The realization hit him like a freight train moving at ludicrously slow speeds. It actually made sense given the events that have passed. What exactly it was about him that made Star develop this crush was completely lost on him. Maybe it was because he didn't care enough to be mean but is that really cause for love to form? Probably not. No matter the reason one thought still scratched at the back of his mind.

"Maybe if you weren't such a bitch he would like you back!"

Marco snapped back to reality.

"Same could be said about you!"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Please, if it's so obvious I have a crush on him then so do you! It's written all over your face!"

Janna was taken aback by this. "I- I have no idea what you're talking about."

A second of silence transpired between them. Marco took the opportunity to come back into the conversation. He stood above Star and tossed the black glasses into her lap. "Stop it."

Star grasped at the glasses and held them in her hand. "Marco. I swear it's not true."

"You know I wouldn't care either way, right?"

Star thought this over for a second. "You really don't care about anything, do you?"

"Listen, I'm not trying to lead you on and I'm sorry if that happened. I can't imagine how but it wasn't my intention."

Star nodded silently. By now Janna had already picked up her backpack having checked the time on her watch. She looked ready to leave.

Marco turned to face the other girl, now. "You good?"

Janna looked him square in the eyes. "Fuck you, Diaz." She walked away, the haste from earlier completely gone.

"But you never told me about your eye."

She called back to him. "Fuck you, Diaz!"

He rolled his eyes and looked back down at Star who also happened to be looking down. Her glasses were back on and she was clenching the scarf in her hands.

"C'mon, Star. I wanna go home."

He helped her back onto her feet and the two were off again. They walked in silence until they were a good distance away from the school. It was an awkward walk in the snow and the bitter chill of the wind didn't help easy any tension.

"How come you never listen to me?"

Star didn't look up at him to respond. She kept her face angled downwards. "Why do you care?" Her usual attitude was back and just as bitter as the wind.

"I don't."

"Then don't ask."

"But it seems to me like you're doing it on purpose."

No response.

"Listen, I don't know if you like me or not and honestly it doesn't matter either way. I just really don't want this to go on."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was fine with the way my life was, you know. I'm pretty sure I've told you this before but I don't want anything to change. I've adjusted to the life given to me and I'm perfectly content with staying that way."

"...No you're not."

"What?"

"I know you're not. If you're so happy with how your life was then why did you come to me? Why try and be my friend?"

Marco had to think about this for a second. "I... don't know."

"I think you want this. I think you like having this bit of excitement in your life."

"Or maybe I just wanted someone to share my suffering with." He said this in a half joking manner but deep down it still felt like the truth. But at the same time, he also believed what Star had said. "Who knows?"

There was another minute of awkwardness between them. There was something about it that bothered Star. Of course the fact that it was awkward played a part in that but there was something telling her to confess. A voice in her head telling her to let Marco in on the secret she had been holding from even herself. Maybe if she just said it her mind would be set at ease.

"Marco, I-... I do like you." She winced as it came out. "I _do_ have a crush on you."

"I figured." They stopped walking. They had made it home. Marco turned to face Star, knowing he better say something more before he leaves her. "I'm sorry, Star. I... can't return those feelings."

Star just nodded and walked to her house without another word. Marco watched her go and didn't move until she was gone. He went inside, happy to be out of the cold. Without thinking he went up to his room and realized what a mess it was. He had no idea he let it get this bad and got right to straightening it out. He tried not to think about it but Star looked visibly sad walking home. Maybe he should do something. Anything, really. It just felt wrong. Or maybe he should just leave it alone. Not like it was his problem anymore.

* * *

Star ran up to her room. She was crushed, absolutely destroyed, and she hated it.

 _You shouldn't have said anything._

 _You shouldn't have told him._

 _It's all Janna's fault, that cunt._

 _Marco's gonna think about it and realize I'm a terrible friend._

 _It's Tom all over again._

There was a whole in the wall now. A big one. Smoke was coming from it. She looked down and saw the wand in her hand. Somehow the reinstated power of sight hadn't caused her to realize that she took her wand out, aimed it at the wall, and blasted a hole in it through her frustration. Her first thoughts were harrowing. What was she going to tell her parents? Her emotions took over, though, and she did it again. Another hole right next to the first. Smoke billowed out into the sky on the other side. Star seethed with rage. Once the rage subsided she writhed in pain. The wand slipped out of her hand onto the floor, her right palm burnt and laden with blisters. Her vision went blurry. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was her parents bursting open the door. She let her body fall to the ground.

* * *

Marco heard it rather well through his headphones. There was some kind of blast from Star's house. Marco hurriedly got up from his computer and rushed to the window. There was a huge smoking hole in the side of the wall. His eyes widened, realizing what happened. Within seconds another hole appeared following a blast of red energy. It was at this time Marco saw the Butterfly's car in the driveway and realized what this meant.

Marco ran out of his room, leaving his computer on. He ran outside into the snow, shoes barely tied, and went right up the his neighbor's front door. Completely disregarding his voice of reason he ran inside, trotting up the stairs and dashing towards Star's room. Inside he found not only a train wreck and the two holes in the wall but a portal as well. Or, at least what he assumed was a portal. It certainly looked like one. Without hesitation he jumped inside, rather confused by his lack of thought in his actions.

He landed on the other side of the portal with a _thud,_ face first on the ground. Below him was a hard dirt ground with a thin layer of dust and ash covering it. He rubbed his finger across it before looking up at the world he had just fallen into. The landscape was barren and grey. There were a few dead trees that dotted the land here and there as well as several large moons, one of which had a ring of what looked like asteroids around it. Other than this the only thing to really see was the enormous castle that stood in front of him, surrounded by a large mote. He could see Moon and River, already a good distance away and carrying an unconscious Star, making their way to the castle. He stood up and followed them, keeping his distance. He had a hunch that maybe he wasn't supposed to be here. The portal closed a minute after.

The closer he got to the castle the more damage he saw. The building was beaten to hell and back, as if it had just seen a war. Walls were crumbling down, windows were smashed, entire spires were missing, and the village around it was completely decimated. The butterflies stopped in front of the castle entrance so Marco hid behind the ruins of a long-destroyed house. He watched in silence as the door seemed to emit some kind of green-ish light and opened. They went inside and closed the door behind them. Marco waited another minute and, when it didn't open again, ran up to the door and and examined it. When he couldn't figure out how to get it open he looked for an alternative route. He found some stones barely jutting out of the wall about 20 feet to the left of the door. It took a few tries but he managed to pull himself up to a small hole in the wall.

On the other side he could see what looked like a foyer. Huge, destroyed stairs led up to a lack of second floor. Several doors with probably nothing on the other side dotted the walls. A smashed chandelier laid in the middle of the floor surrounded by bits of the second floor. Marco pulled himself through the hole and fell a good 8 feet to the floor below. He landed on his wrist and twisted it in a weird position. It didn't hurt much but he couldn't move it as well as he would like. He took another look around the room and saw a single open door against the back wall just below the stairs. He assumed they went that way and followed suit. On the other side were more stairs.

He followed the stairs down a long, dark, dank well until he hit the bottom. Here he was faced with a long hallway with more closed doors on either side and an open door at the end. Though the door was barely open a crack of light was still coming through from the other side. He could hear hushed voices from the end of the hall. He made his way to the door and peeked through. The room was small, 10 feet by 10 feet. There was Moon and River right in the center with their backs to the door. They had set Star down on a wooden table at the side of the room. The only other thing in the room was a cracked mirror with a very ornate silver frame. The mirror didn't act like a mirror, however. It was more like a picture, though somehow he could still tell it was a mirror.

The picture was of a largely-built blue man with an extremely long and thin beard. He could hear the man speak.

"How did she find it?"

* * *

 _ **Die Hard is still the best Christmas movie ever. Happy trails, John. Happy trails.**_

 _ **Merr Crimus erbody.**_


	36. Memories of the Fallen

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. I've practically planned out the rest of this story and the next 2 so I guess that, like, 5 month absence was sorta worth it. I also might end up writing a short story completely unrelated to svtfoe. It was originally going to be another story to be put in here but I figured it'd do better on its own. That probably wont happen for a very long time, though.**_

 _ **Any way, enough of that. Reviews~**_

 _ **1563687233192312: Just a friendly notice that you're a britfag get out.**_

 _ **Guest (1): Hahaha yeeeaaaaah... that's kinda why starco**_ **isn't** ** _happening. Just because they aren't dating doesn't mean they can't be good friends, though!_**

 ** _Guest (2): I have 0 idea what you mean but yeah, let's go with that._**

 ** _JJmmmmmlol: Oh yeah, you thought one 4 month break was bad._**

 ** _A unimpressive name: Sorry to disappoint with my lack of death, I'll get on that soon. Hopefully within the year a runaway train might barrel through my house by accident. That'd be a nice way to go I think. Also yeah I figured it was on purpose I think I didn't realize it was you when you left your last review._**

 ** _Allusions-Collusion (love the name btw): Trust me I don't have any plans of stopping the "foul language" or the dreaded time skips. Also I think we have a different meaning of the word "consistently"._**

 ** _I'm also extremely aware of how high school emo punk this is, I get how retarded that is, and I_ have _cringed when reading a bit of the previous chapters but I figure it's how these kids would be if they were real so fuck it, I think it's fine. This story just reeks of my chemical romance and I hate it..._**

* * *

 **Chapter 36**

 **Memories of the fallen**

"You left the wand in an unlocked chest in an easy to access room for a child to find? Are you insane?!"

River rubbed the back of his neck as the large blue man in the mirror scolded him. "Well it certainly sounds bad when you put it like that."

Moon nudged her husband out of the way a bit, centering herself in front of the mirror. "Sir, she's blind and the chest was in an attic concealed by a trap door in the ceiling, there's no way she could have found it on her own. We think the neighbor boy helped her find it, I can't think of any other possible way it could have happened."

The man in the mirror rubber the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, eyes closed in stress. "Ok, look, I've got something I have to do right now. Glossaryk should still be around in his book somewhere in the castle, have him explain everything to star when she wakes up." He took a quick look over his shoulder. "Alright I got to go now, I'll contact you tomorrow." He turned his back to the mirror and out stretched his arms. "Mar-"

The mirror blinked back into it's normal reflective state, a large crack running down the face, and the two parents looked over at their daughter. Neither of them seemed too keen on the idea that was presented to them.

River seemed particularly skeptical. "It's only been a few months, is it really a good idea to reverse everything right off the bat?"

"I don't know, but I don't think questioning his reasoning is a great idea. He knows what he's talking about."

"It just seems counter productive is all. Not to mention he looked really preoccupied, maybe he wasn't thinking straight."

"No, Father Time wanted us to tell Star the truth so we might as well. He has his reasons and we've never questioned them before."

River placed a hand on his daughter's forehead, clearly lost in thought. He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a few seconds. "Where's Glossaryk?"

"Back behind the family portrait."

The two of them turned back towards the door to retrieve the heirloom and the little man that resided within it. Marco, realizing he didn't have the time to run back up to the steps to hide, turned for one of the doors that lined the hallway. He noticed the latch on the first one was busted, as if it had been smashed off. He pushed the door open, stepped into the dark room, and closed the door behind himself. He pressed his back against one of the walls and listened as the two adults walked past without even a hint of suspicion.

There wasn't much light in the room, in fact the only light at all was the sliver leaking in from the room with the mirror, but it was just enough to get a decent glimpse at what kinda chamber he rushed into. An actual, real skeleton with its wrists chained to the wall sat against the opposite wall. The skull seemed to stare at him, silently judging Marco and his choices. It almost distracted him enough to escape the realization that this skeleton was _not_ from a human's. It was far too large and strangely reptilian.

His mind raced to find some sort of logical explanation as to how a creature of this stature could ever come to exist in the first place. He eventually settled on the idea that he just clearly wasn't on Earth and the obvious logic that entails. The fact that it was chained up also brought through some thoughts on the possible political struggles between this weird reptile race and the humans that lived on this planet, if they were even really humans. He couldn't tell how long he sat there staring at this abomination but it certainly seemed like far too long.

By the time he managed to shake his mind free from the haunting monstrosity that loomed at him through the shadows the two had returned from upstairs. They were silent while walking down the hall. Marco risked a peak out the door crack and saw Moon holding a large, gem encrusted book with her husband by her side. They ducked back into their original room and shut the door. Marco knew that they were just playing the waiting game with Star now and figured he might as well, too. He sat back down, let out a quiet sigh, and went back to contemplating the backstory of this single room to keep occupied. Perhaps the broken latch could lend some interesting ideas.

* * *

 _ **I suppose a time skip would fit here rather well. Have you been craving these? I sure have been.**_

* * *

Star could feel a slight itch on her nose and went to scratch it. The first thing she realized when she tried to life her arm was how sore her muscles felt. Almost like she had been sleeping on a table. She brought her hand down and felt the cold wooden table below her. She wasn't surprised. An eerie silence filled her ears as she realized she had no idea where she was. Not a clue. She tried calling out but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth. She was definitely speaking, or at least should be, but it just didn't seem to work. In sheer desperation and growing fear she tried calling out to her mother, then her father, Marco, anyone. No words came out and no words came in. Out of no where a body seemed to grasp her and pulled her into a tight hug. It startled her at first but the embrace felt excruciating familiar. She recognized it as her mother and hugged back as tight as possible.

Still no sounds from anything or anyone at all. She started paying attention to the rest of her senses. It was hard to smell much beyond her mother but she could tell the room they were in was dank and musty. It was almost familiar. Almost. It wasn't long before Star realized she was crying. She couldn't really remember why. A slight ringing began to form in her ears. It grew to a splitting squeal, practically shaking her head, and before she knew it a voice started to break through. Though it wasn't her mother's.

By the time she could actually make out any words from this voice she could tell it was a man's, but not her father's. This also sound faintly familiar but again she just couldn't place it. It was talking to Moon.

"-ould probably be regaining her hearing by now and soon she'll start to remember what happened to put her here."

She was about to open her mouth to say something but decided against it, not really knowing why. Maybe it was that she didn't know what to say, maybe she was afraid nothing would come out, but instead she remarked on the foreign voice's words. What had happened to put her here? It took a few moments but the memories came flooding back. She instantly wished they hadn't.

"Marco..." She didn't realize she said that out loud until it was too late.

Moon moved back a bit to look down at her daughter. "Star?... Are you ok?"

"Yeah... I think... Where are we?" Her voice was weak, quiet, and shaky.

"We're, uh... we're home. Our first home."

"And you know what happened."

"Yes, your father and I found you."

"Then who's this guy?"

The man's voice didn't even seem to acknowledge her. "Well, we should probably wake river up. He'll probably want to be conscious for this."

"Oh let him sleep." Moon brought Star back close to her. "It's late, there's no need to wake him yet."

"Alright, fine, but we're not waiting for him. And I'm not dealing with him when he finds out we did this without him."

Star finally found something easy to question to butt into the conversation. "What do you mean wait for him? What are we doing?"

"Well, child, everything you think you know is a lie and we're going to rectify that."

"Glossaryck!" Moon seemed to clutch her child tighter after hearing that. "There was a much nicer way of doing that."

"Well, there's no time like the present. If you want to get this done I suggest letting go of her."

"But what if she's in shock?! That's quite the load to drop on someone right out of no where!"

Star couldn't figure out how she felt about what this Glossaryck person had just told her. She was confused but felt like she should have figured that out by now. But she also felt like she had no say in the direction any of this was going in so she let go of her mother and sat up on the table. "I'm not in shock. The last few days have been some of the weirdest of my life. My memories already felt wrong, not to mention the god damn magic wand. Seriously, a magic wand! I just... I don't know what you're gonna do but please just help me be less confused."

The voice Star now knew as Glossaryck seemed to contemplate her words. "You say you were already having doubts about your memories before now?"

"Wh- yeah. Why?"

"Moon, there's your answer. As forgotten memories do finally tease. That's why Father Time wanted this."

Moon was silent.

Star figured she probably just nodded her head or looked away. More confusing information she just couldn't figure out. It didn't matter, though. "Whatever you're about to do, it's gonna help me figure this all out, right?"

"Oh yeah, no doubt."

"Then go ahead. I'm ready."

"That's the spirit. Now just relax and open your mind."

A small yet long hand pressed itself to her forehead. The amount of fingers creeped her out a bit but the situation already felt out of hand enough as is to her so she just decided to roll with it. She forced the thoughts about school and the wand out of her mind as best she could, took a deep breath, and bright yellow light filled her now relaxed mind.

* * *

 _"Your majesty!"_ A squire came running into throne room, barely managing to get through the door. He was out of breath and sweaty as if he had run all the way here from the forest. He stopped just shy of the thrones themselves and leaned over onto his knees with heavy breaths.

Moon, in full regal outfit, acknowledged the small person before her. "What is it, Gilliford?"

"it- i- it's t- it's the- th- the reptiles! Toffee's on his way here as we speak!"

"Is that so?" Moon didn't even stand from her place. She just pointed her wand at the two humongous doors before her and ordered the guards to ready themselves for a possible threat but to let the man in when he should arrive.

River sat with his chin resting on the backs of his clasped fingers. "He seems to be pulling bolder moves."

"I should say so. If he's willing to come here in person then let him. Maybe he's going to make some sort of negotiation."

"I really don't think a man like _him_ is capable of negotiating anything except death."

"Keep an open mind, River. You really never know."

The court sat in silence for what felt like hours in morbid anticipation. They were all excited or scared as to what this monster could possibly say in the presence of his most hated enemy. Nevertheless, as the sun began to set, there was a knock at the door. Two of the guards in front pulled open the doors to reveal the outline of a slim yet rather muscular reptile, his figure silhouetted by the sun behind him. He stepped into magnificent room laid out before him, hands clasped behind his back. He stopped when halfway between the doors and the royalty. His hair seemed to be made of stone as it was completely motionless upon his head, slicked back and shiny. His suit was smooth and silky. No one was sure where a lizard of the Bad Lands had managed to acquire such nice attire.

The reptilian stood staring at the king and queen that sat before him. "Your highness." He bowed low, hand flailed behind him. "It's quite rude not to acknowledge your guests." He tilted his head back up to look at the queen dead in the eyes.

There was a fire of hatred in those eyes.

* * *

 ** _This was going to be so much longer but I hit that 2.5k word count faster than I thought I would. Looks like I'll be splitting this up again instead of pulling another bloodmoon ball or christmas special. Oh well, at least I know exactly what's going into the next chapter. Shouldn't be too long._**


	37. Kingdom Come

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. Right back into the swing of things. Maybe I'll actually be able to keep going during the summer. No promises though. But enough promises we all know I don't know how to keep because the rate at which I write this fic will never reach the point it was at back at the start.**_

 _ **Let's just look at the reviews instead**_

 _ **A unimpressive name: Whatchu mean, that talk is ALWAYS suitable here. Plus, why would you want to go out by drowning? Fuck that noise. It has to be extravagant, quick, and painless. I want everyone to know that I was more important than them and that this fucked up world doesn't deserve me.**_

 _ **Zeldex 72: Thanks, I love the concept so much, too.**_

 _ **We're maybe halfway through this story at this point. Maybe a bit more. It's hard to say.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 37**

 **Kingdom Come**

As the lizard man rose from his bow the masses of guards lining the walls moved their spears into striking position. A lizard's audience had never been hosted in the court before, let alone one with diplomatic intent. Moon waved the guards back and stood up to address the man before her. Her eyes, just like those of Toffee, were filled with a malicious connotation.

"What business do you have coming here, Toffee? In case you've forgotten, we're in the middle of a war. I could have your head severed and served for an early dinner in 20 minutes."

The reptilian straightens his back and places his hands back behind his back. "There's no need for that, your majesty. I come here with an offer, a trade really, not a proclamation of violence."

"Come to beg for forgiveness so soon? I knew it was only a matter of time after that devastating defeat a week ago."

The hatred in Toffee's eyes grew. Moon could almost see how bloodshot they were. The fury was palpable in the room. "That is _not_ why I'm here. While the wellbeing of my people-" Moon let out a small scoff to Toffee's distaste, "is certainly a concern after such a loss, I'm here with the hope that, as the ruler of a kingdom of people yourself, you may want to avoid as much bloodshed as I do."

"Avoid bloodshed? Of course, I would love to keep my people alive and thriving rather than having their throats cut in front of their own homes. It's impossible to do that, though, while your 'people' are around to make trouble."

" _My_ people have played the hands they were dealt from birth. We've been dealing with the situation _your_ people have put us in."

"Is that how you justify starting this war? Self-defense?"

"We didn't start this war, Moon, and you know that as well as I do."

Though his voice remained as calm as it was when he arrived, Toffee had taken a step forward after this statement, raising a hand to his chest. The guards around the room resumed their defensive positions, ready to attack should he make any sudden movements. Moon didn't signal them to ease up this time. Instead, she took her own step forward in retaliation.

"Tell that to the family your evil, despicable army cut down for no reason." She put more emphasis on the spite in those words, projecting her message directly to the lizard's heart.

"They were trespassing on our land. You made that strictly prohibited years ago because you knew this would happen and yet you declare war on _us_ when your people can't follow your directions. What sort of ruler do you think you are?"

"One that can provide retribution to those who had lost their loved ones." She had made her way all the way down the steps that lead to the two thrones. Now on surface level with her aggressor Moon was ready to hurl as many verbal attacks as necessary to make this beast leave her presence and rescind back to his worthless flock of murderers and bandits. "You think you can kill an innocent, unarmed family and expect me to just sit here and call it their fault? You justify killing the innocent after partaking in the act, you speak ill of my people in my presence, and you have the _audacity_ to ask for this war to end?" Moon's eyes were practically glowing as she gripped her wand down by her side. She was ready to obliterate this monster's skull and think nothing of it. In fact, she relished the idea and felt that it could kill two birds with one stone and send a message to the monsters.

"And here you act so high and mighty, yet you're at fault of the same crimes you accuse me of committing."

"I don't need to justify killing your kind."

"What about all the families that died during the relocation? What about all the children that starved to death as you took all the food in the valley? What about all the innocent civilians that died during your raids? You seem to have no remorse letting _them_ die, yet you come after me as if I started this bloodshed. When will you realize your 'benevolence' to your own people creates nightmares and graves for so many others?"

Moon's eyes were nearly an opaque magenta as her hatred for this creature burned to its boiling point. Even River had gotten up from his throne to voice his distaste in the events unfolding in the royal court. The action forming between the two rulers escalated to a heated silence as they stared each other down. The daggers beamed across the room between Moon and Toffee seemed to fly for ages without a sound before a tiny voice piped from behind the thrones.

"Mom…?"

The princess of the kingdom stood just in front of the door that connected the throne room to the rest of the castle. Though the interruption itself was new, this circumstance was a regular occurrence. Even at the age of 11, Star had always had an interest in the inner working of the court and would regularly spy on the meetings from behind this very door. She happened to be partaking in this action when Toffee had arrived. Of course, she knew who this man was from previous espionage trips to her little spying spot but even she was surprised when he had shown up in person. When the shouting had started Star was surprised it went on for as long as it did. And when everything went silent for too long Star had gotten scared that maybe something happened to her mom. Foolishly, she risked a peak into the room. When all she could see around the thrones was the guards with spears ready to strike and a lizard in a tailored suit she opened the door fully and stepped through.

Toffee was the first to break eye contact between the two. His eyes darted to the small girl in the door way. Moon managed to catch this through her blinding rage and turned to see what he was looking at. When she realized it was her daughter her eyes dimmed almost immediately to their normal image.

"Star, what are you doing down here? You should be in your room."

"I- I just… I thought you'd gotten hurt."

Toffee saw the opportunity before Moon realized she had made a mistake. He mumbled to himself something about the equivalent exchange of eyes and raised his hand to the child, palm facing out. Before any of the guards could react, a yellow beam blasted from his hand and struck the child's body. The unending beam lifted Star off the ground and her head tilted back. No words came from her gaping mouth. Beams of light shown from behind her eyes.

"STAR!" Moon's eyes widened in absolute fear as the guards around them charged Toffee.

Every spear that got too close was stopped by a large, orange semi-sphere that encapsulated him. None of the guards could manage to even crack this solid protection. As the pandemonium ensued River had bolted for his daughter. As he reached the floating child a spark lit up his vision, and the king was sent flying into the back of his throne. Moon, having seen all of this, readied her wand. She pointed the large blue crystal at the emotionless monster before her. Toffee didn't even look at her.

"I call the darkness unto me, from deepest depths of earth and sea." The crystal began to glow a pastel purple and her eyes followed suit. "From ancient evils unawoken to break the one who can't be broken. From blackest night I pledge my soul to crush my heart to burning coal." A black goop overtook the wand's top piece and formed as a dark veil, darkness running through her veins from the wrists. "To summon forth the deadly power, to see my hated foe devoured!" The diamonds on her cheeks burned black as tears began to stream from her eyes.

The spell didn't immediately break the shield. The black beam of light that was thrust from the wand hit the shield and festered for a moment, waves forming around the orange membrane. Toffee still payed no attention to it, his concentration solely on Star. The beam condensed and then shattered the shield, continuing on its path. Toffee's only movement when the beam's target was hit was his hand flinging back. He looked down at his hand and saw a finger missing, a black, smoky butterfly fluttering out of the wound. It began to bleed.

When the concentration was broken Star fell back to the ground. She was unmoving as her parents ran to her. Toffee covered his spouting finger stump and stole a quick glance around the room. The guards were snapping out of their daze from the spell and were about to charge again. Time for him to make an escape. As he ran back to the doors he attempted to put up a new shield. Though he was expecting the outcome, he was still rather annoyed when nothing formed. The massive doors closed behind him as several projectiled spears were stabbed into wall around them.

Moon payed no attention to the darkness that was slowly creeping up her arms. Her sole attention was on her daughter. Still breathing, thankfully. As Moon clutched onto the child River ran off to find the medical servants.

* * *

Star laid in her bed as every single castle nurse and medical servant did their best to figure out what was wrong with the child. Bustling feet ran in and out of the room, bringing new equipment and taking used. Some were yelling at others, sending them away to fetch some new tool that everyone knew would yield no new results. Moon sat by the bed side trying to stay as out of the way as possible while still clutching to her only daughter's hand. Her crying had stopped and the queen's words evolved from muddled sobs to choked curses directed at the monster that had done this. Every wish of death she had for that lizard she hoped would eventually strike his heart like he had done to hers. If she had wanted to wipe out the entirety of the monster population before it was nothing compared to the absolute destruction that was soon to come in retaliation of this crime.

The room moved back and forth for nearly an hour before any progress was made. There didn't seem to be any harm done to the child whatsoever. Someone eventually had the idea to check her eyes. Just out of curiosity, really. They had gone over every other inch of her body, what else was there to check? One of the doctors parted her eyelids, opening her one eye. Sure enough, there it was. The effects of whatever evil spell Toffee had cast upon Star. The room stopped moving and there was a collective gasp as all the working bodies realized what had happened. Moon choked back her anger long enough to ask what it was. One of the medical servants answered her.

"My liege… it seems Toffee has taken your daughter's sight. She's blind in both eyes. Thankfully that seems to be the _only_ damage done."

"Thankfully? My daughter is now blind because of that… that monster!"

"Yes, your majesty. A hit to the princess is a hit to the entire kingdom."

Moon stood up from the chair that had been placed by the bedside. She let out a melancholy sigh and held her face. "Please, leave me with my daughter."

"Yes, your majesty." The medical staff began filing out of the room one by one, unable to take the somber energy with them.

"Manfred!"

The stout servant poked his head into the doorway. "Yes?"

"Go find Glossaryck for me. I need his opinion on this."

The man nodded and headed out. It was a good few minutes before he returned with the tiny floating blue man. Entire minutes that felt like a few hours to Moon. She couldn't pull her eyes off Star. Glossaryck floated right up to her head.

"You rang?"

"What happened, Glossaryck? How could I have made this big of a mistake?" Her voice rang with defeat.

"Do you want the literal answer or was that rhetorical?" He turned to see Moon's face. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes still locked on Star. She said nothing. "Right, well I thought it was pretty obvious anyway. To be fair you did save her life."

Finally, Moon broke her visual tether and turned to tiny man. "What do you mean?"

"That spell Toffee used was meant to kill her. He had every intention of leaving this castle with a child's life. Your quick thinking saved her. Of course, Star was under the influence of that attack long enough to leave some lasting damage but at least she's alive."

"Oh…" Moon slowly turned back to face her daughter and wiped some of the tears away with her wrist. "Yeah, at least she's alive…"

* * *

Tension in the kingdom only rose from that point on with the constant physical reminder of what the monsters had taken from them. Support for Moon's cause shot up dramatically after that day and more and more people were signing up to fight those bastard abominations out in badlands. Men and women of all ages and sizes were picking up their spears to roll some heads in honor of what the princess had lost.

Months went by and the war escalated ever further. The royal military was larger than ever recorded and monster casualties were racking up by the hundreds. Unfortunately, this did not go without loss on the mewman's side. Small militias of monster forces were managing to sneak through mewman lines, flanking their enemies and eventually pushing through to some of the smaller outlying villages. The capital, though, remained untouched by the monsters themselves. However, they didn't even have to get there to create disorder.

Star stood out on her balcony, listening to the small group of protesters below yelling their ideologies at the castle. Sometimes Star felt like she was the only one that ever actually heard them.

"Monsters are people, too!"

"End the bloodshed!"

"Stop killing innocent monster families!"

Star sighed and turned her back to the crowd, leaning her back against the railing. The nonsense they continued to spout only annoyed her more and more every day. An inescapable alarm that seemed to go off at the same time every day. She hated it more than she hated Toffee himself. All of that went away when she heard Tom speak up over the noise below them.

"Come on, Star, you spend so much time up here already. A little fresh air wouldn't hurt."

There was not a single person in this world that Star appreciated more than she did Tom. He always seemed to know exactly what she needed, after all he _has_ been her best friend since before the incident. The Butterfly family has always had friends in the underworld's royal circle, and the Lucitor family, the current rulers down there, were no exception. Her parents had even suggested letting Tom court her a few times. Of course, she would turn it down anytime they brought it up while constantly using her age as an excuse, but there were times she would contemplate it when they would hang out together. Though he never said anything about it Star could tell he would spring for the opportunity should it be offered. But despite all this history, despite they're unending friendship, Star still felt like that was one of the dumbest things Tom could have ever said.

"I have plenty of fresh air right now. Why do you think I'm on the balcony at all?"

"Well if I didn't know any better I'd think you were starting to get quite fond of the mob down there."

"Right, next you'll say they're all peaceful and friendly."

"Star, come on, you don't need to be so stubborn. It's only for an hour or two, how bad could it really be? Gregorio's got a new flavor that I really wanna try and I know how much you love his ice cream."

Star tilted her head down, still adamant to stay exactly where she was. "It's been really dangerous out there lately. Remember last time when that group tried to attack me?"

"So, something bad happens one time and now you refuse to leave your room?"

The protests from down below only got louder.

"The queen is a murderer!"

"The princess is a coward!"

"End the war!"

Star tried her best to ignore them. "It's not like that, Tom! They managed to push me down before anyone realized what was happening! What if something worse happens next time? What if the one that gets to me has a knife?"

"If you let them scare you into staying hidden you're only proving their point." Star could hear him take a few steps closer. "You can't let those degenerates control you like that."

"They're dangerous! They've rioted before! People have already died! Imagine what they would do if they got their hands on me!"

"Star, please!" Tom placed his hands onto Star's shoulders. "So long as I'm around they're never going to lay another hand on you. I promise you I'll do everything I can to protect you, but you can't let them stop you from doing all the things you want to do."

A tear started to fall one of Star's eyes as she tilted her head up to face her friend. "They hate me, Tom… they fucking hate me…"

Tom brought her head in close to his chest, hugging her tight. Star returned the hug as she squeezed his waist. Sobs caught in her throat as Tom rubbed the back of her head gently.

"They don't hate you, Star. No one could ever hate you. They just don't know any better."

* * *

When the mewnian forces first began their onslaught of the monsters it almost seemed like the war would end sooner than they all thought. Sure, there were a few hiccups here and there but overall the shear force that the royal military exerted felt nearly unstoppable. But just like a wind changing directions the tides of war, too, can change on a dime without a moment's notice. The monster forces shifted from guerrilla warfare, random men and women with whatever weapons they could find or make defending their homes from coming disaster, to an organized task force capable of following complex militaristic orders. The shift was almost immediate, practically overnight, and at the head of it all was the battle-scarred Toffee.

Normally, a lizard having been wounded in such a manner without healing would be seen as a weakness. What sort of reptilian couldn't regenerate his limbs? How could they have let such a man lead them for so long? The other lizard folk had exiled him at first, not wanting such a weakling to taint the reptilian order, but Toffee saw it differently. He left for a while, planning his moves and readying any person who still sympathized with him. Soon he returned to the people who had outcasted him and he brought with him a message. He used his injury as a call to arms, a warning of what the queen was capable of and what could happen to all the rest of them if they weren't careful. He wasn't weak for not being able to grow his finger back, it was something the queen had done that had deterred his power. It was something the queen had done that could wipe out the entirety of his people. But if they organized and followed his lead he could make them into an unstoppable, unkillable force that even an abomination like Queen Moon wouldn't be able to stop. And that's exactly what he did.

Yielding farming tools and makeshift weapons the regenerating monstrosities began wreaking havoc on the kingdom. It took quite awhile to break through the mewnian lines, nearly a year in fact, but right off the bat every soldier between general and private knew the monsters were gaining strength. Once Toffee's forces broke through and started gaining ground on Mewni was the start of the kingdom's downfall. First the outlying corn farms burned and the grounds were salted. Then the minor villages on the outskirts of the city burned out one by one. Then they got through to the city walls.

Though Toffee's ranks managed to take out many ground troops, this wall was a force to be reckoned with. Even with regeneration a lizard had a hard time coming back from burning under a pot of boiling tar or taking a massive ballista bolt to the face. For three months the wall seemed unbreachable. For three months Toffee threw ever force he had at the wall essentially waiting to get lucky. Not a single soldier faced any casualty behind the wall and every lizard that took a hit would come back to fight in due time. It seemed to be a perfect stalemate. That's when one of the grunts found a blind spot.

While out for a midnight leak he braved a closer investigation of the wall. Managing to stay hidden in the under brush by veil of darkness he started to notice a pattern in the troop movements on the top of the wall. Feeling a little lucky he booked it across the field. He didn't stop running until his back was safely pressed against the wall. He made it. He was at the wall. He couldn't wait to tell Toffee about it. He began inspecting the wall and an idea struck him. He rushed back to the camp as quick as his legs could carry him.

Toffee wasn't keen to being woken up at 3 in the morning unless it was some dire emergency. But when he heard about how one of the grunts had managed to make it all the way to the wall he was more than willing to stay up just a little longer. The plan presented to him was simple: a small task force would make their way to the wall and pick a hole into it without being notice, stuff that hole with as many explosives as they could muster, and blast that wall sky high. It's a miracle they managed to pull it off.

A devastating quake overtook a large portion of the wall. The guards that didn't die directly in the explosion were either finished off by the fall or picked off by the coming forces advancing on the walls. Lizards funneled into the 30-foot-wide hole in the wall, wasting any poor bastard that stood in their way. Alarms began to ring all along the wall and soon made their way into the city itself but every soul that sounded an alarm knew it wouldn't help much at all. Messengers on horseback were sent out at the same time to alert those in the castle of the impending invasion. By the time the first arrived the queen had already figured out what was going on.

Moon was rushing down the hall with Glossaryck floating just beside her. "The evacuation process is underway. I really hope they all get out safely. Are you sure this is necessary? We could just leave, we don't need to go past that."

"And risk an entire dimension that's been blacklisted for centuries to discover us? You know what the high commission would do to all of you if that happened. And we can't keep a 14-year-old liability like that."

"I know, I know, I just don't want to have to do this to my own daughter."

"We don't have a choice at this point. Father Time has his plans and when he tells us what to do we follow him. Even _I'm_ not always sure what he means."

As the two were crossing over a hallway overlooking one of the main castle atriums, one of the messengers rushed in below them. Seeing the queen, he called out to her.

"Your majesty!"

Moon stopped and look down at him. "What is it?"

"They broke through the wall! They're on their way here!"

"How long do we have?"

"Their pillaging everything in their path but their moving alarmingly fast! They'll be in the main city within the hour!"

"Thank you. Glossaryck, we have to hurry."

They continued on their path to Star's room, their pace quickening. River was already there, talking with his daughter. Star was wearing a new outfit. It was the opposite of royal, practically casual and extremely foreign. When Moon and Glossaryck arrived, he nodded and moved to the side. Glossaryck flew his way over to her to address her first.

"I'm assuming your father already told you everything."

Star faced downwards, unsure about what was about to happen. She at least wanted to say goodbye to Tom before this, where ever he was. And she really didn't want to forget about him. "I just… I mean, yes he told me, but I don't know-"

"Perfect." And with a flick of his hand, Glossaryck sent Star into a deep sleep. Her protests went unheard.

Her parents stood off to the side to watch idly. They watched in silence as Glossaryck did his work. He placed a hand on the child's forehead. Her breathing began to soften as a bright light emanated from beneath his palm.

* * *

"We've arranged a vehicle to arrive within the next few minutes. That'll be yours to use freely until you return. Directions to your new residence will be in there along with the correct currency. That should be everything you asked for."

The queen sighed lightly as she stared into the soft, curvy membrane of the portal before her. She couldn't see what was on the other side and almost didn't want to. The idea of abandoning her kingdom in such a time of need, leaving it to rot in the hands of exactly the person she swore to protect it from, sickened her. It felt like everything was crumbling down around her.

"Thank you, Manfred. You've served me and this kingdom well."

"Let's hope there's still a kingdom to serve when you come back."

Moon turned to the tiny man beside her and slowly dropped to one knee. "Stay safe, Manfred. I wouldn't want anyone else to serve my family."

The two hugged for a second. When Moon rose back to her feet she saw her husband enter the room with Glossaryck. Just behind them a few servants were carrying Star. The royal couple took a look out the nearby window. There was commotion riddling the streets and the citizens scrambled to get their families and belongings out of the city while just barely trying not to trample anyone else. They probably only had a few minutes before the town would become overrun. The screams were unbearable. Some of them sounded close, almost like they were coming from the castle itself. Glossaryck broke the through the noise.

"She'll probably only be asleep for another hour or so, and when she does she could be a drastically different person. The spell itself doesn't replace all her memories, it just changes some of the bigger ideas. She'll think she was raised on Earth but all of the smaller details her brain rewrites for her. It should still have the same parallels as her actual life but-"

"All I need to know is that she won't remember any of this." Moon didn't care about the how the spell worked. Now wasn't the time.

"No, not at all."

"Then let's hope she never has to."

Some of the screaming in the castle was getting closer. Some of it even sounded like pleas of mercy. Something was coming for them. Manfred headed for the door.

"I'll see what's going on. I think the lizards have made it here."

He disappeared through the door, closing it behind him. Glossaryck knew exactly what was coming.

"I guess it's time for me to go. I'll be here when you get back, you know where to find me. I think it's about time you saw yourselves out as well."

Moon nodded. "Goodbye Glossaryck. And thanks. For everything."

"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice." And with that the little blue man descended through the floor.

The family waited for a few more minutes while River brought their luggage through the portal. There was no word from Manfred though they weren't really waiting for it nor did they expect it. Moon sat down in one of the chairs, her daughter resting in one just next to her. The room was completely empty except for the two of them, the furniture they sat on, and the portal looming over them in the corner of the room. It was impossible to think with all the noise ringing throughout the castle. It was practically outside the door at this point.

River came back through the portal. "That's all of it. You ready to go?"

"No."

River hoisted Star's arms over either of his shoulder and began carrying her towards the portal. "Good, neither am I."

Moon stood up unsteadily, scissors in hand. She made her way over to the portal. She couldn't even hear the door being kicked open behind her through the exhaustion in her ears. She heard River yelling at her, though, and that got her attention. She turned around to see Toffee in the doorway, suit bloodied and torn. Moon ushered her husband through the portal as she fumbled with her wand. Toffee began walking across the room towards them, doing his best to fix his cuffs.

"What's the matter, Moon? Nothing left to say?"

"Stay back!" She fired something from her wand. She wasn't entirely sure what it was. Toffee didn't even flinch when it hit him.

River was completely through the portal, now. Moon was stepping back, trying to make it to the portal while shakily aiming the wand at the aggressor. Her back foot had just made it through.

"Where did all your hospitality go? I expected something a little fancier."

She kept firing shot after shot. They rarely hit and when they did it was like they did nothing to the lizard. "You blinded my daughter!" The hatred in her voice that should have been there was replaced with both fear and dread.

"Bygones, Moon. You took my finger." He lifted his hand up to show her. "Besides, she was never the one I was after."

Moon lowered her wand, realizing there was nothing she could do but run. She shook her head. Tears fell to the side. "I hope whatever kills you is as painful as what you've put _me_ through. And I hope it comes soon." Toffee was almost in arm's reach when she fell back and closed the portal.

He took a second to stare emptily at where the portal was just a moment ago. He reveled in the screams that echoed behind him. This was all his doing. He had won. And now he would enjoy watching it all burn.

* * *

 ** _Hope you liked the nice long chapter for y'all. This was originally gonna be the apology for the literal 4-5 month hiatus but I figured I'd get something smaller out first instead of taking so long with this. Not having steady wifi doesn't really help, either, but I get by. I really need to get back to updating regularly and get these reviews flowing the way they used to._**


	38. The Waiting

_**Ok, ya dicknuts. So I've been doing some thinking about the entirety of my story. If it wasn't obvious yet, I never planned to go this far when I first started. Originally It was going to stop after 20 chapters or so and I would move on but the farther I went the more I started to come up with. It was just supposed to be one fun little story but it's evolved in to so much. I figured it's time to make it a bit more... I dunno, professional? Clean it up a bit, make it not a pile of shit right from the get-go. Now, I don't want anyone to hate me for this, but that may involve... deleting the time skips. Ok, ok, I know, you don't have to yell at me, I'm sorry. But, I just feel like that's the direction this story needs to go in so it's gotta happen. Other than that, I've been talking to a friend of mine that I've been helping write their own story and after they got the idea to go back and polish some of the writing, and after I went back and read, like, the entirety of my work, I figured I might as well do the same and overhaul everything. I'm gonna keep the story the same, just clean up some writing and what not. I'm sure you all understand. This probably won't happen until I've finished this arc so let's just enjoy what we have now until then. Also I might put a majority of the author's notes at the end of each chapter instead of the start, beginning with this chapter. Seems reasonable.**_

 _ **Sorry for taking up so much of your time, and for making you all cry or something, I honestly don't care that much about your salty tears, but, as we all know, Time is valuable. So, let's get back into the story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 38**

 **The Waiting**

Mrs. Diaz got home that night before her husband. She pulled onto their street to be greeted by police cars and fire trucks. They looked like they were parked right in front of her house. In a bout of fear, she hit the gas a bit, speeding up as much as she could while still avoiding the large group of people scattered around the asphalt. When she got closer she found that they weren't in front of her home, they were there for the neighbor's place. She managed to get into her driveway and take a look at what was going on. There was a huge hole in the side of the neighbor's house. Right on the second floor. A perfect circle, with a small tinge of red around the outside. In a panic she ran into her own house.

Other than the panicked voices that permeated the walls, the house was strangely silent. Marco was no where to be seen. She checked his room first. His computer was still on, some game flashing a "you died" message on the screen. While this felt weird for Marco to leave his computer on and his chair out of place it didn't necessarily show any suspicious signs. She checked the bathrooms next. All vacant. She opened the front door and took another look outside. She scanned over the crowd that surrounded the street. No sign of Marco anywhere. But she did see two police officers walking in her direction. When they got to the door, the one on the left, a rather large man with a goatee, addressed her first.

"Evenin' ma'am." He tipped his hat lightly before returning his hand to his belt.

Angie offered a slight head nod in return, her face still riddled with small clues of fear.

"I'm sure you've seen all the commotion out here. Any idea what happened?"

"I- no. No, I just got back home a minute ago."

"Yes, we saw you pull in. Figured there was no harm in askin' you since we've already talked to everyone else on the block and the next one over."

Angie was silent for a second, not sure how to respond, before she remembered what she was doing just seconds ago.

"Did you two happen to see a boy out there while you were asking around? He's fourteen, about this tall," she raised her hand just above her own head "brown hair, probably in a red hoodie, constant look of apathy on his face?"

The other officer, a taller and skinnier man, answered her. "No, nothing like that comes to mind."

"Oh… well, thank you anyway." She was about to close the door when the second cop changed his mind.

"Actually, now that you mention it, that does kind of ring a bell."

Mrs. Diaz swung the door back open as a shrivel of hope filled her eyes. The first officer looked at his partner in confusion but the second kept going.

"Yeah, now that I think of it, I was definitely here recently. I was here on a noise complaint."

Angie was almost angry that this man would start to waste her time like this. "I don't see what that has to do with any of this."

"I don't mean the area, I was at this house. Yeah, I've definitely met your son before. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him in th-"

"Woah, hold on. You were called to _my_ house on a noise complaint? That doesn't sound like Marco."

"No, no, actually you're right. He had a friend over. Little blonde girl…" His voice trails off for a second as he starts to put pieces together in his head. He snaps his fingers in realization. "The blind neighbor!"

"Yeah, her name's Star." The cop repeated her name as the mention of it sparked his memory. "But what does that have to do with a noise complaint."

The fatter cop seemed to agree with that logic. "Not really much of a lead to go on there."

"No, it's not that specifically. When I was here the living room was an absolute wreck. It looked like they were fighting or something. Said it was just horseplay but the tip said they were screaming at each other like they were angry with one another. Not to mention they both looked scared out of their minds when I got here. Not like the classic 'kid-afraid-of-a-cop' scared but like more of a guilty scared."

Angie thought this over for a second, recognizing some pieces of her own that fit into this puzzle of a narrative. "Actually, the two _have_ always been really hostile towards each other. I thought it was just the way kids were these days but maybe they were genuinely fighting."

The first cop was still unsure where his partner was going with this. "What're you thinkin' here, Monty?"

"I'm thinkin' if we find the girl we'll probably find Marco, too."

This only made Mrs. Diaz all the more frightened. "You don't think she hurt him, do you?"

"I'm thinking more of them running away from home together but with the way they acted towards each other we can't take anything off the table just yet. Maybe he just happens to be at another friend's house?"

She shook her head. "He doesn't have any other friends." She let her eyes slide away towards the ground in disappointment of her own son.

"You sure there's no where else he could be?"

She nodded her head. "Star's the only one he talks to anymore."

"Then it looks like we know who your son's with. We'll get him back for you, miss. Don't you worry."

"Please do. I don't know what I would do if I found out he was hurt or… worse."

The two parties exchanged passing pleasantries and the door was closed. The two officers headed back to their cruiser. The bigger one voiced his disbeliefs first.

"You don't really think her son's missing, do you?"

"I don't know. A family disappears the same time their neighbor does without a trace but a hole blasted into a wall, which we have no idea how that was made, and we know the two children had some sort of connection between them. Not to mention when I saw them there's was definitely something going on. Something… unpleasant."

"You know we can't go off a coincidence and a feeling you had awhile ago. That's not solid evidence."

"It's just too convenient, is all. It's fine, though, we don't need to include all this in the report but I'm definitely keeping it in mind."

The two of them drove off away from the scene, leaving a mother to call her husband back.

* * *

When Rafael came home he found his wife in the kitchen, pacing back and forth in thought and fear. They locked eyes, a shared concern connecting them. The father was still convinced his son wouldn't just run away, and he found it hard to swallow the idea that the little neighbor girl had taken him, but there was still the concern in the back of his mind. Something telling him there was something wrong. Angie broke the silence first.

"What are we gonna do?" Her voice was shaking as much as her hands were. "Marco's gone, Raf. What are we gonna do?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders, attempting to steady her. If anything, it helped calm his own nerves. "It's fine, everything's fine. How far could he have gone in a few hours? We'll put up some fliers, make some calls, see if there's been any sightings. Someone had to have seen the two of them."

She nodded her head in short, fast movements. "Yeah. Yeah, of course, how far could he have gotten? Right. Makes sense."

"Good. I'm gonna call the Cleides down the street. Just try to… hold it together."

He let go of his wife and took out his phone. While he left the room, phone in hand, Angie went back to going insane. Did he leave willingly? Did he really want to? She knew there was something wrong but everything they did for him, every penny they spent on his mental health, none of it ever seemed to change anything. Did he finally get fed up and just leave to fix it himself? He had never shown any sort of initiative like that before. Was it something she had said? Maybe she was too hard on him when she warned him about getting too close to another girl. But he couldn't have taken it the wrong way. He knew she was just looking out for him. He knew she would always be there for him as a mother. He knew she would never do anything to betray him or hurt him! He knew!

And yet, still… where was he now?

She returned to her previous task of anxiously pacing the kitchen and crying. Where _was_ he now? Was he thinking of home? Did he even want to be there? Did he really leave on purpose? Against her own wishes she began thinking about what the rest of her life would be like if Marco never came back. She immediately tried to push the thoughts to the side but eventually succumbed to their vicious rage. She was going to grow old and sad with her husband, no family to speak of. Maybe she could adopt. But how would everyone view her for such an action. Was it too heartless to replace her only son after he just up and left? No, he didn't leave. He was taken. She had to reassure herself of the conclusion she had just come to minutes ago. He didn't leave. He was taken. By that little blind girl and her family. What kind of monsters would go and steal a child from his parents? What kind of absolute fuc-

"That's the fourth house and still no one's seen him."

Angie's internal monologue was cut off before reaching its chilling climax as Rafael addressed her with an update. She immediately looked his way and stopped moving. She knew that this was going to be the case and yet the news still shook her to the core.

"Well try the whole god damn neighborhood, then! Someone had to have seen something!"

"Angie, please, calm down. Freaking out isn't going to make him turn up. We can go out and make posters tomorrow, the cops are already looking for him, what else is there really to do but wait? We're still not even sure he really left."

She looked up at her husband, tears flowing from her eyes. Her heart ached for her son but she knew the man's words spoke the truth. She nodded lightly. Rafael moved his wife over to one of the kitchen chairs and sat her down.

"Sit here for a bit and cool off. I'll try a few more calls and we can talk after that."

He picked the phone back up and left the room once more. She was left to her harrowing thoughts once more. They seemed to pick up right where they left off.

Maybe if Marco just went out and acted like a normal teenager for once this may have been easier. Maybe if he had some actual friends, ones he didn't fight with constantly, she'd be able to call them. Maybe they'd have a lead on where he is. Maybe he would have been with one of them instead. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. She kept repeating new scenarios in her head, desperately wishing for some alternate universe to present itself so she could leave this old, ruined one. Why even _was_ Marco such a social recluse, anyway. She knew he really took it hard when Jackie told him to leave but was he really so weak as to fall into some emotionless pit of nothingness just because of that? No, that was heartless for a mother to think about her son. Maybe there was something else. Maybe there was something he still kept to himself. Maybe Jackie knew something. Maybe, maybe, maybe, there she goes again. She shook her thoughts away and got up from her chair. Jackie might know something. It was as good a lead as any, especially when she didn't have any others. She retrieved the school directory and started thumbing through the pages.

When Rafael returned to his wife he found her with the directory back in her seat. Though confused he decided there were bigger problems at hand to address first.

"So the Halbergs saw him walking home from school with Star, but they're pretty far up the street so we know he at least made it there."

"Let me see the phone for a second."

He handed her the phone across the table.

"You come up with something?"

"Probably not."

She started putting the number in and they both fell silent as they waited. It rung a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Oh, thank god, it's Jackie. She really wasn't sure what the plan was if someone else had decided to pick up the phone.

"Hi, Jackie. It's, uh… Mrs. Diaz. Marco's mom."

"Oh, uh- hi?"

"I know I'm probably the last person you expected to here from right now, especially because of… well yeah. But I just- I was wondering… did you happen to see Marco sometime after school today? Or, have you talked to him in the last few days?"

There was a short pause. She wasn't sure if Jackie was weirded out or confused by the question. Or if she was just thinking about her answer.

"I mean, no I don't think so. Why, what's this about?"

Angie let out a sigh, knowing she might as well just get straight to the point.

"We don't know where he is. I know this was probably a long shot but he hasn't come home and nobody's seen him and the neighbors are gone and we think they may have taken him or their daughter did something to him and I just thought… I don't know, you two used to be friends, I figured it was worth a shot."

Jackie took another few seconds to process this manic rant that was just flung her way.

"I, uh… I mean, he was at school today? That's about the best I can give you. I don't think we've actually spoken to each other in… god, maybe three years? He's been hanging out with that new girl in school. I think she's been causing a bit of trouble recently if that helps at all."

"Thanks, Jackie. Please, keep an eye out for him."

"I will, Mrs. Diaz."

She hung up. Angie placed the phone on the table and put her forehead onto her clasped hands. Another idea leading to a dead end. Is this how it was going to be until he just miraculously turned up? She was out of ideas. She could hear the chair scratch on the floor and knew her husband had just sat down across from her.

"It was a good idea. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually. Let's just get some sleep and get those posters up tomorrow. Maybe you'll feel a little better in the morning?"

"I doubt it… I don't think I'll even be able to sleep tonight."

And she was right. She didn't leave that chair all night, despite Rafael's best attempts to get her to come to bed. She said no every time. She couldn't go to sleep yet. She just couldn't. What if Marco came back in the middle of the night? She sat there in that exact same position for hours. Thinking. Trying to decipher some sort of motive for her son to have left. Trying to piece together what his relationship was with this girl. Trying to figure out whether or not he saw any signs that this girl and this family were kidnappers. The idea of googling this family came to mind to see if maybe they had done this before but she couldn't find the motivation to move. All she wanted to do was sit there and wait for her son to come back. All she wanted to do was wait until her life fixed itself.

She just wanted to wait. And that's exactly what she did.

* * *

 _ **I honestly didn't have a great name for this chapter and I'm kinda disappointed in myself for that. Also I just realized I made Angie go through the first 4 stages of grief, in order, without doing it on purpose. So I guess that's something.**_

 _ **Y'know what else is something? Reviews~**_

 _ **InfiniteClockWise: Lmao so true. I like to change the characters up with every new rendition. I mean, with some of them there's only so much I can do, but y'know.**_

 _ **Celebrity Martyr: Wow, man, you're still here? Glad to see I haven't driven at least you away. Rip all my other old regulars. That last chapter was definitely not meant to recap any plot but I mean if it helped you then it helped you. Gonna try and stay here. That's three chapters in a row without more than a week in between each. I think I should be fine, at least for the summer.**_

 _ **Glad to have all you still with me, especially in this dying fandom. I know I only managed to gain as much popularity as I did immediately because I used to pump these fucking chapters out at light speed, and I know I'll probably never hit that level again (even with time to write I've just been putting in more effort than 2 days worth maximum) so I really appreciate you all sticking around this long if you have. I have so much planned for this story and I just want it out there for people to enjoy. I just want to share the ending. It's such a fun ending.**_


	39. Confessions

**Chapter 39**

 **Confessions**

The bright white light flashed once more and began to fade back into it's usual black veil. Star could tell where she was once the images, which she now knew as memories, ended. She recognized the cold dankness of the stone-walled room below the castle. She was back with her parents and Glossaryck. Though her facial features were stoic as she stared off into the abyss as usual, her eyes held a hint of sadness. They were glossy and almost seemed to tremble. Her voice seemed even shakier.

"Wow…"

Her mother spoke, curious as to the effects of the memory spell. "Star? How do you feel?"

"…Absolutely terrible. I feel like I'm about to puke."

"I know that's all probably a lot to take-"

"No really, I'm about to-"

Even as she cut her mother off, she was unable to finish her own sentence as she jumped up from her seat and hurled into the corner. Glossaryck managed to conjure up a bucket just in time to catch most of it. They all sat in silence as Star vomited several times into this bucket, clutching her side the entire time. When she finished she gave herself a generous few minutes to catch her breath. While panting, her face seemed to stretch into a scowl. She was still hunched over the bucket when she found the wind to speak.

"You didn't have to do it."

Her mother turned in confusion when Star said that.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't have to take my memories."

"Wha- Yes, actually, I did. How much do you think you know about that situation?"

"As much as I could put together. The kingdom was under attack. The people hated us." She finally stood up from her hunched position over the bucket and turned towards where she thought her mother was. "The people hated _me_. You ran away because you were losing and you took _my_ memories away to try and 'save me'."

"That's barely even the tip of the iceberg. You have no idea what kind of position I was in."

"And what good did it do you to take away everything I knew about my life, everything I knew about myself?"

Moon stood up from her chair, clearly affronted by these accusations. "You're a child, you never would have been able to handle adjusting to a whole new life after that. It made you docile."

"It made me a monster!" Her voice was slowly raising as she continued on. "It turned me into a spiteful, malicious monster!"

Moon's voice raised to match hers. "I did what Father Time told me to do! I did what was right for you!"

" _You didn't have to do it!_ "

Her voice was close to screaming at that point. Her mother fell silent after Star's words pierced her. It was quiet enough to hear Star's tears hit the ground.

"You didn't have to do it, mom! You don't have to listen to everything he says! You can think for yourself!"

Moon's voice dropped down a bit, trying to calm her daughter. "He knows more than we do, Star. He knows what we need."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I needed to turn into a piece of shit to save the kingdom!" Her voice was absolutely laden with sarcasm. "But, in case you haven't noticed, it's _gone!_ "

"We don't need to know his intentions to know his orders are for the good of our people."

"Our 'people' are gone, mom! Gone!"

This cut into the queen. She got a bit angrier than she would have liked. "I don't remember you being apposed to this idea back when we proposed it!"

"Because I didn't know what would happen! I didn't know I would think I was just some kid bullied her entire life for being blind!"

"None of us did!"

Glossaryck attempted to cut into this conversation. "Well, I did try to tell you."

Both women shouted in unison. "Not now, Glossaryck!"

The two kept their screaming match going for quite some time, neither of them bothering to listen to the other. Glossaryck backed off, floating over to sit beside River's head. The king had said nothing the entire time, knowing full well what would happen should he attempt what Glossaryck just did. They both thought it best to just let the two blow off the steam.

Just outside the room, Marco had been listening in. He hadn't the slightest clue what these people were yelling about. All he could hear was Star waking up, everyone going silent for a bit to let this Glossaryck character do something, complete silence for several minutes, and now this. One part of him felt like he shouldn't be listening to this, like he should leave now before something bad happens and he's discovered. The other part was gripped in captivation, wanting to know more about this mystery that he's overheard. Then he started to wonder why he was even staying hidden. What would happen if he just came out and presented himself? He wouldn't do it right now, though, for obvious reasons. Better to just be safe than sorry. When the two women resulted to actually yelling, however, he closed the door to his little hide-away room just a little more. He could barely even understand what they were saying anymore but he knew getting involved was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

At one point, Marco could hear the yelling silence for just a second. It seems like no clear victor had been decided in this verbal war. It was only for a split second, though, as Star loudly exclaimed "Fuck it!" and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Marco barely saw her form pass by as he looked on through the sliver in the door. He heard her bang into the wall a few times on the way out. He heard Moon try to call after her only to have Glossaryck hold her back. He said she just needed a bit of time and to let her clear her head. No one went after her so Marco saw it as the perfect opportunity to follow and disregard what Glossaryck had said. He wasn't talking to Marco anyway.

He poked his head out of the room. The door was still closed to the room with her parents. Might as well run for it now. He left the room behind him to pursue the echoed stomps that reverberated through the stair well at the end of the hall. He followed them upwards towards the room he had been in when he first entered the castle. He kept back, staying by the door and crouching behind what used to be the base of a pillar. He could see Star sitting on top of a crumbling wall, facing out into the distance. She didn't seem to be crying but he could hear her breathing hard, sniffling lightly every now and again. Did he want to reveal himself now? Just for the sake of asking a few questions? No, that's not what he was doing. He was consoling a friend. The questions could wait.

He silently stepped out from behind the pillar, prodding the ground with his toes softly as he made his way towards her. He tried to keep the sounds of his shoes hitting the stone floor as quiet as possible but it wasn't until now that he realized he was only wearing socks. Must have run out of his house without putting them on. He was only a few feet behind her and she still hadn't turned around. He thought his sneaking skills had done a pretty decent job for a second.

"Mom, I know you're there. You don't have to tip-toe."

Marco froze and looked down at himself. Well, she definitely heard him, but she didn't know who it was. Unsure of what to say in the minimal amount of time he had to respond, he quickly decided to say something funny. Time to make a flashy entrance.

"Pfft, you wish I were your mom. Wait, no, hold on, that was stupid."

Star perked up a bit after hearing that, stifling her sniffles as best she could.

"Marco…?"

"Dammit, I ruined it."

"Marco what the hell are you doing here?"

He actually had to think about that one. What _was_ he doing here? After that explosion back home, he just kind of mindlessly ran and jumped into a random thing he assumed was a portal. He hadn't exactly thought through what he was doing, and he certainly didn't have time to think while gazing at everything that was going on around him. This weird new world, the moons, the castle, the skeleton, everything he heard in the basement, he still wasn't really sure what to make of it all.

"Uhhhhhhh… curiosity?"

"No, I mean how did you get here?"

"I mean, I think it was a portal? I'm still trying to understand what's going on myself."

She held her head in her hands and let out a small groan. She felt like cussing this boy out but she was so tired of being angry. Then the thought of what she did to get here pushed into her brain. The pang of guilt that came with it ate at her stomach.

"I don't know what happened, Marco. I just… I feel like everything that happened since we met is just… fake."

Marco took the opportunity to climb up onto wall. That comment almost seemed to come out of nowhere, it felt so off topic.

"I have no idea what that means."

He plops down next to her, taking in the landscape. He could see a bit more of the village, now. It seemed to go on for miles in front of him; small shacks and homes made out of stone and straw. They were all destroyed. Everything he could see below the sky looked like a big bulky mass of gray. It would be boring if the story it begged to tell wasn't so captivating.

"Did you hear anything from downstairs?"

"Basically everything. I heard you fighting with your mom about… I don't know, something about memories? I mean, one second you were all like 'where am I' and then out of no where you were like 'mom I hate you' but I think I got what was important."

"Marco, you're really, really stupid, you know that?"

"You only tell me constantly."

Star let that sink in for a moment. She did say that a lot, didn't she? She tried to think about what she was like before all of this, before the war, before she left this place. Then she thought about how much she changed. This isn't who she used to be, it's not who she was supposed to be. But she has all her memories back, now. Why does she still feel like such a… such a bitch? She felt another guilt pit in her stomach. It was a start.

"I know… I shouldn't say that so much. I'm sorry."

That took Marco off guard. Star was apologizing? He turned to look at her with a confused expression, as if Star could even see him. He could see streaks of drying tears running down her cheeks. Fresh ones looked to be welling up in her eyes.

"Well, that's certainly new. It almost sounded like you actually meant that."

"Because I do mean it. That's not who I am, Marco. And it's not who I want to be."

But that _is_ her. That's how she's always been around him. That's how she's always acted, why would she suddenly want to change that now?

"Ha, good luck then. Changing yourself is about as easy as getting a cat to play fetch. It just doesn't happen. Believe me."

"But I'm not changing. Or at least, I shouldn't have to. This isn't who I used to be. I wasn't always so fucking angry!"

She clenched her fists, shaking ever so slightly. Marco still wasn't following this weird narrative Star was trying to push. She's never been anything but the most obnoxiously mean-spirited girl since they met. How long ago was she talking about?

"Well, I guess going blind _can_ bring about a change in some people."

"No, it's not even that. They took my memories, they changed me, turned me into someone else. I'm not _supposed_ to be this way."

"Alright, now you lost me."

"So, you didn't see anything down there, did you."

"I was kinda hiding so I didn't see anything at all."

Star let out a sigh, searching for the right words to begin at. She owed Marco an explanation but she knew nothing would make sense if she didn't start at the start.

"Alright, so I'm gonna try and explain this as best as I can. I'm the princess of the kingdom we're sitting in, which was taken down by monsters that were angry at war or something, and we were forced to leave to someplace safer but my parents took my memories before we left and replaced them or something and for whatever reason that turned me into a raging cunt."

Marco attempted to take in and process everything she just said.

"…What?"

"I'm a princess, Marco. I'm not from Earth. How hard is it to understand that?"

"No, yeah, I got that, but literally everything else after that was literal gibberish and if we weren't sitting in the castle of some other dimension I'd probably say you were having a stroke."

"Well maybe if you shut up and listen I'd be able to explain a bit more."

"Yeah, whatever."

She took another second to think over exactly what she was going to say, finding it rather difficult to explain something this massive to one person.

"Ok, so you know everything I told you about my life before I moved in next to you?"

"Uh, yeah I think so. You used to be bullied and shit for being blind, had that one friend what's-his-name, things like that."

"Yeah exactly."

"Never really understood why kids would bully you for going blind, to be honest. Kinda struck me as, I dunno, unrealistic."

"Yeah, well, that's probably because none of that ever happened. Whatever spell took away my memories gave me new ones, too."

"Alright, for the sake of argument I'm going to pretend like I know what that means."

"Great. Well, turns out I'm actually a princess from this other dimension, called Mewni. We were at war with the monsters, literal monsters that lived out in the Bad Lands." She gestured out over the city towards some unseen location. "They were mad because we moved in and became more technologically advanced than them. They started a war because they couldn't figure out how to make the things we could and when we wouldn't share with them they just kinda snapped out of nowhere. I think there was always a bit of unrest out in the Bad Lands, though, and that was bound to happen eventually."

"Alright, is this a history lesson or this about you."

"I'm getting to that, god dammit. So, this one guy comes to the castle one day to talk to my mom, the queen, this lizard guy named… I think his name was Toffee. I don't even think he was anyone important at the time but it's hard to remember, I was only, like, twelve when this happened. He comes to my mom and asks her to end the war, my mom says no, they get into a fight in the throne room, and he takes my sight."

"Wait, hold up, that's a big jump. How'd he get a hold of _you_?"

"Well I was kinda snooping around at the time, and when they started shouting at each other I stepped into the room to see what was going on. Toffee saw me first and did some magic on me and poof, everything's black."

"Oof."

"Exactly. So, now my mom starts really going after monsters, like really slaughtering the fuckers. This makes a lot of people start thinking that maybe fighting these monsters is a bit cruel and they start protesting as if their opinions mattered. After a while everyone assumed the protesters just go away but they only got bigger. There were so many of them everywhere. And then they started getting violent. I think they even went after me a few times after I left the castle. They probably would have hurt me, too, if I weren't with-" Star's eyes widened as she came to the realization. "Tom! Oh my god, Tom!"

Marco snapped his finger. "Yeah, that was his name. Tom, that one friend you had in school."

"I haven't talked to him in, god I think it's been almost half a year now."

The cogs in Marco's head began turning at the mention of his name. He was putting the puzzle pieces together.

"So, wait, if Tom was real but also in your memories, and you were literally bullied here just like in school, maybe those memories weren't fake after all."

"Holy shit, Marco, I think you're right. Actually, now that I think about it, it doesn't really feel like I have two different sets of memories. More like two variations of the same thoughts."

"Alright, anyway, protesters got touchy. Then what?"

Marco felt more invested in this story than he thought he would be and cared more about what happened than how her memories worked.

"Right, ok, so out of nowhere the monsters started getting stronger. That was probably when Toffee took control. I have no idea what happened but sometime after he came to the castle he became like a general or something and started just barreling through us. Well, eventually they made it to the city and we couldn't stop them. And now Mewni is… this." She held her hands out towards the miles of rubble before them. "Kinda ironic, really. They attacked us because they wanted what we had and, in the end, they destroyed all of it. And while the city was being sacked my dad told me about our plan to escape and how they were going to take my memories. At the time I don't think I minded. After all, the only thing I was leaving behind was Tom." She exhaled through her nose a bit. "Tom…"

Marco was speechless. All of that from this one girl. The end of an entire civilization and now he was just plopped down right in the middle of it all for the recap. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking in the delightful silence, digesting the late months of this city. Marco thought of something to finally make the mood lighter.

"Well, guess it's my turn again."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Remember that time, back when we were in my room before school started? We made a deal, you tell me your past, I tell you mine. Maybe it was the other way around."

"Oh. No, Marco, you already told me your story, what more do you have?"

"Well, I mean, I haven't been totally completely honest myself, I guess."

"You dick, are you serious?"

She sounded half amused yet half annoyed by that.

"Well, I was partially truthful. Kinda like you were."

"Alright then, lay it on me. What's _your_ sob story?"

"So, back when you moved in my mom told me not to get too close to you. Not because of you or anything, but because she knew I was going to ruin our friendship and my life. Again."

"What do you mean 'again'?"

"Jackie Lynn Thomas."

"That chick that told you to fuck off when you got too annoying?"

"Well, that's not really what happened. That's the story I like to tell myself when I don't want to hate myself for what really happened. Actually, I kinda told _her_ to fuck off."

"Wow, that's literally the exact opposite."

"I know, right? Crazy. Anyway, shut up, I'm talking. So, the two of us used to be really good friends back in elementary school. Even back then I could tell my, eh… condition kinda weirded her out but she put up with it nonetheless. But I kept getting worse and worse. The smallest things would set me off. We started drifting apart and I could tell she didn't want it to happen. She wanted to be my friend she just couldn't stand… well, me. She tried to 'help' me, thought she could help get rid of my OCD or something. Well, the more she tried the pissier I would get. We started fighting every now and then but eventually I just kinda snapped. I went absolutely ape-shit on her, told her to go fuck herself, that she didn't know me, that she was wasting her time on me, and that I'd do better without her. So, she left and we haven't talked since."

"Jesus christ you're a massive pussy."

"Hey, what happened to you not wanting to be so mean anymore, huh? What happened to that?"

"I'm workin' on it, big guy. Chill. And I thought you were, like, madly in love with this woman or whatever. What about _that_?"

"Yeah, well, I… I mean… I don't know what I was thinking. Sometimes my mind just gets the better of me and I push people away when I don't want to. I did like her, I really did, but I can't change who I am and I don't want to have to put anyone through that."

"Is that why you rejected me?"

"Well, that's part of it. You were also a massive cunt and even if I wasn't as messed up as I am I wouldn't want to deal with that."

"Yeah I can understand that."

"Why, where is this going? Were you gonna try again?"

"Haha, no. Of course not. I don't even like you like that."

"Hold on, what? Already?"

"Yeah, so, remember how I have this whole, like, 14 years of my life before I met you? And how I spent them with my good friend Tom?"

"Woooooooooooow. Shoulda seen that one comin'."

"Yeah, well, what can ya do? Now that I know I had to leave him behind and not that he abandoned me in school I kinda remembered how close we used to be. Not like I really have any way of talking to him right now, anyway. I guarantee the only working mirror in this entire place is back downstairs and I'm not exactly about to go down there like 'hey, guys, I know I just flipped the fuck out and all but I need to make a call real quick so can you just kinda get out?' I don't even know if that thing has Tom's address on it."

"You lost me again. Mirror?"

"It's the way we call each other here. Like phones except with a camera."

"Neat."

The conversation died away again. They were left to sit on the wall once more without any other speaking points to bring up. Marco felt like what he needed to say was said and realized just how long they had been sitting there. He pushed himself up from the wall and dropped back into the castle room. Star felt him move and decided it was about time she made her way back down to her parents.

"I should probably go apologize to my mom, now."

"I think you're right. You good, though? You calmed down?"

"Yeah, I'm a lot better now. Thanks, Marco, I really needed this."

He shrugged, not thinking much of it. "What are friends for?"

Friends. The word shot a bit of warmth through her body. Even after her freak out back on Earth, after her failed 'confession' and freak out afterwards, Marco still wanted to be friends. She felt happy. Happier than she had in a long time.

She walked past Marco towards the entrance to the stair well. She stopped and turned just as she reached it.

"Oh, right, do you, like, want to go home? I can probably get my parents to cut you a new portal if you want."

"Nah, not just yet. I don't know if I want to get mixed up in all… that right now. Besides I kinda wanna check out this new world. It's literally an alien planet that I can physically live on and I think I might be the first person from Earth to ever step foot here."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"Well, whatever. It's still super cool. I can't leave just yet."

"What about your parents?"

"Eh, I'm sure they're fine without me."

Star seemed to accept that answer as she turned to leave Marco by himself. The boy turned to this new world that laid before him. For the first time in forever, Marco was excited.

* * *

 ** _Wow, I managed to get this one out pretty fast. It's almost like it was back when I started._**

 ** _So while I was cleaning up my profile a bit I came to the conclusion that I would start to post the "renovated" chapters during my hiatus. I'm currently going through and not really rewriting them but cleaning them. After I finish the blind!star story I'll go into another hiatus in which I'll repost each chapter, maybe a few a week. I'll also be posting it on AO3 or wattpad or something, maybe. Who knows, we'll see how this all goes._**

 ** _InfiniteClockWise: Ah yes, that brings me back. Been a long time since I played that game._**

 ** _Celebrity Martyr: Well, guess both this story and I are back alive once more. Can't wait to get out more chapters for you to read._**


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